


The Genius In The Slave Quarters

by moviefan_92



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Alien Technology, Alien/Human Relationships, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Attempted Seduction, Awkward Romance, Battle, Chemistry, Comedy, Comedy romance action, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Dark Comedy, Developing Friendships, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Epic Battles, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Female Friendship, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Heavy Angst, Humor, Humorous Ending, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Romance, Light Angst, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Master/Slave, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Planning Adventures, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Royalty, Saiyan Culture, Saiyans, Science Experiments, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Seduction, Sexual Tension, Slavery, Slaves, Slow Romance, Some Humor, Space Battles, Super Saiyan, Tragedy, Tragedy/Comedy, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-28 23:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 62
Words: 143,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17192480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: An alternate universe story.Bulma is an astronaut/scientist. After picking up a distress signal, she lands on the saiyan planet, Vegeta. While there, she is captured and forced to become a slave. After revealing her genius, the saiyan king decides to appoint her as Prince Vegeta's personal slave, and orders her to come up with new ways to train his warriors so they can overthrow the evil galactic overlord, Frieza. Vegeta thinks Bulma is weak little slave, and Bulma thinks Vegeta is an arrogant jerk, yet as time goes by, they grow closer together.Adventure/Romance/Sci-Fi/Drama/Angst/Tragedy. Pairings: Bulma and Vegeta, Tarble and Gure. Rated for violence, some sexuality, and attempted rape.STORY COMPLETE





	1. Human Invasion

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ. Greetings. After the success of my last Dragon Ball Z story, I decided to do another. It's a AU story, which isn't really my style, but after reading a couple fics where Bulma becomes Vegeta's slave, I decided to give it a shot. For those of you that read my other DBZ story, this one is completely unrelated and won't have anywhere near as much smut. I'm not too thrilled about the title though, and may change it. And if anyone has any suggestions for a better title, feel free to tell me. So, without further ado, enjoy the first chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Originally posted on 01/07/11 - 12/10/12 at: _<https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6632381/1/The-Genius-In-The-Slave-Quarters>_**

  

 

**" THE GENIUS IN THE SLAVE QUARTERS"**

**Chapter 1: Human Invasion**

The pilot swore as she checked her maps. She was so far off course that she had vanished from the galactic radar database. Getting back to Earth wouldn't be hard, the ship had an autopilot for that, but having gone so far, she was beyond knowing where she was.

"Great, Bulma." She muttered. "This is what I get for being a good Samaritan."

She was a space explorer, on her way to a newly discovered distant planet. It was a great honor to be selected for the mission. It should have been an easy assignment. All she had to do was touch down on the new planet and take a few samples, then head back home.

But things hadn't gone as planned. A week before her four-month trip to the new planet would have ended, her ship's communicator had picked up a distress signal from another ship. It was labeled as unidentified, and all information was completely foreign.

But an S.O.S. could not be ignored. It was part of the job. The ship had locked onto the distress signal and changed course. Bulma, still in hyper-sleep, was completely unaware of the situation. That is, until the ship had gone beyond all known territory. After that, the pilot was needed, and she had been woken up from her deep sleep.

"Whoever is calling for help had better be grateful." She complained. "Not only am I beyond known territory, but now I may have to abort the mission."

That was unlikely though. Because of the change in course, she was only a few weeks behind schedule. Everyone back on Earth would have already been alerted by the computer of the change in plans and wouldn't fault her for it, probably, and it wouldn't be hard to get back to known territory, but it would be time consuming, and that was what had her in such a foul mood.

Bulma wondered if whoever sent out the distress signal was even still alive. The signal had been picked up three weeks ago, and who knew how long it had been sending out that message before she picked it up. For all she knew, she could be going through all this trouble for someone who was already dead.

"That would be such a drag." She grumbled. "I don't even know what I can do. I'm not a doctor."

But then she thought of her supply of Senzu beans. These beans were special. They came from Earth, and not only did a single bean heal any and all bodily injuries, but it kept whoever ate it full for ten days. An ideal food for a space traveler.

"But it won't do them any good if they're sick." She realized. "Maybe I should just turn back." She sighed. "No, I can't do that. I'll get fired. Stupid contract.  _'Must respond to all distress signals'_. Who thought of that anyway?"

But even as she considered turning back, the ship's computer picked up an incoming planet. And according to the code coming from the ship sending out the distress signal, it was this planet that it was heading for.

"Finally."

She checked the planetary database. She wasn't surprised to find that it was an unidentified planet. She was far beyond all known territory. At least all known territory to those from Earth.

"I'm gonna get to meet aliens." She realized. The idea excited here. "Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. It certainly beats harvesting space rocks from an uninhabited planet."

Strapping herself in as the ship entered the atmosphere, she prepared for landing on this unknown planet.

To those that did know of it, it was known as planet Vegeta.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The small round ship tore through the sky, heading for the ground at great speed. Within sight was a large facility of some kind. The ship was heading right for it. With a mighty crash, it slammed into a strange giant cushion in front of the facility, preventing a devastating collision. Once it 'landed', the ship began to power down.

From out of the facility, two men dressed in strange warrior-like clothes emerged. Upon first glance, one would think they were merely human, but if one looked closer, they would have realized that these men had monkey-like tails wrapped around their waists.

"Well, look whose back." Said one of the men. "That took even longer than expected."

"Not right now." Said the other one. "A distress signal was being transmitted. We have to see to his wounds."

The small spaceship opened to reveal another man inside. He was badly wounded, oozing blood all over the place. A breathing mask covered his mouth, feeding him oxygen and keeping him in a hibernative state.

"Wow, he really got beaten up." Said the first man.

The second one nodded. "The Dark Star, Ankoku, is an incredibly hostile planet, but if he came back alive, then it means that he was victorious."

"King Vegeta will be pleased. We should inform him immediately."

"First we must get this one to a healing chamber before he dies. He's right on the brink of death as it is." A grin crept up his face. "I wonder how strong he will become once he recovers."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

In the royal chamber, a large well toned man sat on his throne. He had long spiky brown hair and a beard. He too wore the same type of clothes as the other men, including a cape and a pendant around his neck. Upon hearing the news of their latest victory, he grinned proudly.

"Excellent. Lord Frieza will be pleased. That planet was wasted on those dumb beasts. Have they all been wiped out?"

The messenger bowed to him. "At the moment, it can only be assumed so, sire. The planets inhabitants were indeed powerful, but no match for a saiyan."

The king grinned. "Yes, we saiyans are the strongest race in the universe. And one day we will prove it, once we rid ourselves of that tyrant."

"Of course, King Vegeta. The prince is determined to overthrow him. He trains so very hard. It's only a matter of time."

King Vegeta nodded. He had no doubt that one day his son, Vegeta the second, would be able to defeat their nemesis. They just had to be patient. It was only a matter of time. Already the prince had surpassed the king in strength. Soon the galactic overlord himself would bow down to the prince of saiyans.

As these thoughts went through the king's head, another saiyan entered the room. The messenger went to meet him, nodding at what he was told before going back to the king.

"My lord, it appears we have an invader."

King Vegeta glanced at the messenger. "An invader? Who would dare to invade us? Is it Lord Frieza?"

The messenger shook his head. "No, sire, it's an unknown ship."

The king crossed his arms. "Is that a fact? Perhaps they don't know just whose planet they've trespassed on. Send some men out there to see who it is. If they prove to be a problem, kill them."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

After having landed on the planet, Bulma did a quick scan of the planet's atmosphere. She was glad to discover that the air was breathable, and she would not need a spacesuit.

"That's good. I was afraid the air would be made of rat poison, or something."

Of course, that didn't mean the planet was safe. This was an unknown world with unknown inhabitants. They might not be friendly to outsiders. The thought of being at some freaky alien monster's mercy scared her.

"I'm going to be really bummed if I die trying to help someone I don't even know." She mumbled as she grabbed her gun.

Truthfully, she didn't even know how she was going to find them. The distress signal had vanished shortly after the ship had landed. Had whoever been in distress gotten help? She hoped so, but she was still obligated to check it out.

Upon inspecting the planet, she discovered that the gravity was ten times greater than that of Earth. Bulma only weighed 130 the last time she weighed herself. That meant that once she turned off the artificial gravity simulator that she would weigh 1300 pounds.

"I'll be crushed." She realized. "Yamcha might be able to handle that, but not me."

Thinking about her fiancé brought on a feeling of loneliness. She missed her delinquent boyfriend. True, the three months and something weeks before she had last seen him had gone by fast for her since she had been in hyper-sleep, but she still missed him.

Putting thoughts of her love life aside, she gave herself an injection that would allow her body to adapt to the planet's gravity. After that, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Upon exiting the ship, she looked around. She was on a primitive world. In the distance, she saw some form of civilization and technology, but not at the level Earth was at. Still, the place didn't have a friendly feel to it.

Bulma gulped, wishing she wasn't alone. The original mission was simple enough to require only a single person, but this little detour felt like it should be undergone by a team rather than a single space explorer.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she wondered out loud.

The sound of a bush rustling nearly made her jump out of her skin. Whirling around, she pointed the gun at the bush, trying to stop shaking to hold it steady.

"W-Who's there? I-I w-warn you. I'm armed."

Whether responding to her call, or simple acting out on its own, Bulma didn't know, but something suddenly came bursting out of the bush. Bulma screamed as she stood face to face with a large alien lizard of some sort. It was blue in color and resembled an iguana, only much scarier. And based upon the way it was looking at her, and its mouthful of sharp teeth, she had a feeling that it was a carnivore with her in mind as its next meal.

So terrified that she was blue in the face, Bulma pointed the gun at the creature. "S-Stay back. I d-d-don't w-want to h-hurt you."

A long tongue suddenly shot out of its mouth and wrapped around the gun in her hand. Bulma screamed as the weapon was pulled out of her hands and swallowed whole by the creature. The alien licked its lips and returned its hungry gaze to Bulma.

"OH MY GOSH!" she screamed. "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

She turned tail and ran back to her ship. The alien gave chase, moving a lot faster than she was. For a moment, Bulma thought she would make it inside in time, but suddenly she tripped, falling flat on her face.

A shadow fell over her and she covered her head, waiting for the inevitable. But a blasting sound and a splatter came instead. After a couple seconds, when Bulma realized that she was still alive, she cracked open her eyes. Looking over her shoulder, she cried out as she saw the dead body of the lizard, looking like it had been caught in an explosion.

Dumbfounded, Bulma started at the lizard, wondering what had happened. Did it step on a landmine or something? No, from the way it's body was splattered, the blast seemed to have come from up above.

Looking up, Bulma received a shock as she saw two men floating in the air. They were dressed strangely and had weird devices on their faces, covering their left eye. She also noticed that they each wore a furry belt, which didn't seem to go with their unusual outfits.

"Well, well, well," said the short bald one with two scars across his face, "look at what we have here, Brock. A little girl is lost and alone."

The other man, Brock, chuckled. "Guess it wasn't an invasion after all. She doesn't look that strong. What's her power level?"

The scar-faced man pressed a button on the device on his head. It made a beeping sound and he laughed. "According to the scouter, she's only a level four."

"Four?" Brock replied. "That's ridiculous. She's not even worth our time. Come on, Onion, lets just kill her."

Bulma felt the ground drop from beneath her at those words, but she immediately relaxed when she heard what the man known as Onion said. "We have our orders, and they did not include killing her unless she was trouble."

Bulma felt like she needed to take charge of the situation. Using movies concerning alien invasions as an example, she addressed the two men. "Greetings, my name is Bulma Brief. I am the ambassador of planet Earth. I come in peace." She hoped she wouldn't regret these next words. "Take me to your leader."

The two men stared at her for a moment before sharing a look and then burst out laughing.

"Did you hear her?" Onion asked. "'Take me to your leader'. That's a good one."

Brock nodded. "Yeah, especially since we intended to anyway." He grinned wickedly. "But she has no idea what she's getting herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yes, Bulma really has no idea what she's getting into. Though I'm sure you can guess what's going to happen. By the way, Brock and Onion were the two saiyans Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu fought in the Time Room at Kami's Lookout while preparing for the coming of Vegeta and Nappa, and the Dark Star, Ankoku, was the home world of Yakon. With that said, let me know what you think of the first chapter.)


	2. A Royal Encounter, Times Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, reviews from last chapter tell me that this story has promise. I shall do my best to meet your expectations. Oh and special thanks to .Xx for my first review. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 2: A Royal Encounter, Times Two**

Bulma was as angry as she was scared. She was angry because, one, she was being treated as a prisoner by these two brutes, and two, because they had blasted her ship. She wasn't unfamiliar with energy blasts, for martial artists on Earth used them as well. And the man known as Onion had gone and fired a blast at her ship. It wasn't destroyed, but there was no way it was going to fly now. Unless she could use one of the ships belonging to the people of this planet, she was stranded. But it didn't seem like that was a possibility; these people didn't seem friendly. She wondered if Onion and Brock were merely creeps, or if all their kind were aggressive by nature.

At first, Bulma had been surprised that this planet had human life, but she soon discovered that these people were not human, but merely aliens that greatly resembled them. The difference was in what she had once thought were furry belts. As it turned out, those belts were actually monkey tails that they tended to wrap around their waist. It had been surprising to discover this since she had never heard of such an alien species that resembled humans except for tails. Then again, the universe was a very big place.

But Bulma couldn't think of such things right now, not when these two aliens were flying through the air with her slung over Brock's shoulder. She was too busy screaming her head off. She didn't really like flying unless it was inside a ship. True, she had gone flying with Yamcha before, but he was always very careful with her, and he never went this fast.

Or perhaps he  _couldn't_  go this fast.

The two men carried her as they approached the palace. Once there, they landed and walked inside. It took Bulma a few moments to realize that they weren't in the air anymore, but once she noticed, she began struggling to get free.

"Put me down!" she shouted, kicking her feet and punching Brock's back. "Let me go right this instant! This us no way to treat a lady! Put me down right now, you brute."

Brock just chuckled. "She sure is feisty."

Bulma continued to pound her fists against him. They were starting to hurt. Whatever material the guy's strange clothes were made of was really hard. It was more like armor than clothes.

Though struggling was clearly useless, Bulma persisted until she was brought into a large room filled with more of the aliens. At the front of the room, a large man sat on a thrown, raising an eyebrow at their appearance. Once in front of this man, Brock dropped her on the floor none too gently.

"How rude!" Bulma shouted. She turned her angry eyes on the large man sitting on the thrown. "I suppose this big guy is your boss."

"Be silent!" Onion snapped. "You're in the presence of King Vegeta, the king of saiyans."

Bulam stood up and placed her hands n her hips. "Is that so? Well, I have no idea what these… saiya-jins are, nor do I care." She looked up at King Vegeta. "But if you're in charge around here, then you had better teach these two lackeys of yours a lesson in manners."

"SILENCE!" King Vegeta bellowed. "You will hold your tongue, girl!"

Bulma immediately fell silent. "Y-Yes, sir."

The king smiled. "Good. Now, tell me, why have you come to our planet?"

Bulma took a deep calming breath. "First let me say that I'm sorry for my rudeness. I'm just not used to being manhandled." She glanced angrily at Onion and Brock, then turned back to the king. "I'm astronaut Bulma Brief of planet Earth. I was on a mission to explore a new planet when my ship picked up a distress signal. I followed it to see if I could help, and it led me here."

King Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "A distress signal? Ah, it must have belonged to one of our warriors. How unfortunate for you to have come across it. We saiyans require no help from outsiders. Especially from ones so weak."

Bulma glared at him. "Hey, buddy, you better stop insulting me. I don't care if you are the king here, you have no rule over me. I'm from another planet. And unless you want to create an intergalactic incident, you better treat me better. And your goons here destroyed my ship for no reason. How do you expect to make up for that?"

King Vegeta's eyes narrowed. The girl had nerve, but she would need to be taught her place. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. Soon all planets will be under the rule of Lord Frieza, including this… Ea-arth of yours." He glanced at one of the saiyans standing beside him. "Zorn."

"Sire?" the saiyan replied.

"Take this girl to the slave corridors and put her to work."

Zorn nodded. "Right away, my king."

Bulma's mouth dropped open. "W-What? Slave corridors? I'm no slave! How dare you! I demand that you send me home right now!"

"Slaves don't make demands. "King Vegeta told her. "They do what they're told, or they're killed." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to die?"

Bulma fell silent, feeling dread overcome her. "There was no doubt in her mind that this saiyan king would indeed kill her. It seemed as if these saiyans were a savage race of barbarians. And she was stuck here on their planet.

"This is what I get for trying to help one of your people in distress? Enslavement?"

"You should have minded your own business." The king told her. "Take her away."

The saiyan known as Zorn grabbed her arm roughly and began dragging her away. The other saiyans chuckled as she screamed protests, batting at Zorn with her free hand. He didn't even react to her attacks as he pulled her down the hall.

"Unhand me!" Bulma shouted. "You have no right to do this! I'm an earthling, not a saiyan! You can't do this to me!"

"You'll find that we can." Zorn told her. "And if you don't shut your mouth, I'll see to it that you never open it again."

He suddenly froze, a look of caution appearing over his face. Grabbing Bulma, he bowed, pulling her down into a bow with him.

"What the-"

"Be quiet!" Zorn snapped.

Another man appeared from around the corner. Bulma looked up at him and received a surprise. This man looked nearly identical to King Vegeta. They had the same face, though this man's lacked the beard, and the same hair, though his was black rather than brown. The identity was too much to be a coincidence. This man was definitely related to the king.

"Prince Vegeta." Zorn acknowledged.

' _He's the king's son.'_  Bulma thought.  _'I can definitely see the resemblance. They even have the same arrogance too; I can see it in his eyes.'_  She studied the prince for a moment.  _'Though he is kind of cute.'_

The prince stopped beside the two of them, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. "Who's your friend?" he asked, sounding as though he didn't really care.

Zorn grinned. "Just a new slave. I'm taking her to the others."

"Big jerk!" Bulma shouted suddenly. "I'm no slave! I'm a free woman! Now let me go, or you'll be sorry!"

The prince smirked in amusement. "She's spirited. I wonder how long she'll last." He chuckled. "For your own sake, girl, you better learn your place fast. It would be a shame to have to damage that pretty face of yours."

With a laugh, he continued on his way. Bulma watched him go, feeling furious. How dare that creep speak to her like that, like she was nothing. She worked very hard to be the person she was. Unlike him, who was only in his position of power because he was fortunate enough to have been born into royalty.

' _That jerk! I can't believe I thought he was cute.'_

"If you are wise," said Zorn, "you will stay out of the prince's way. He has no time for lowlifes such as yourself."

Bulma glared at him. "You call me a lowlife? Just look at how primitive and savage you people are! If anyone here is a lowlife, it's you and your people, especially your damn prince and king!"

She never saw the blow coming. One moment she was standing there angrily, the next, all she knew was darkness.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

A painful ache in her head slowly brought Bulma out of unconsciousness. Groaning, she opened her eyes. Reaching up, she felt a damp cloth over her forehead. It didn't do much to help the ache in her head, but it was better than nothing.

' _That jerk,'_  she thought, sitting up,  _'I can't believe he actually hit a girl like that.'_

Removing the cloth from her forehead, she looked around. She was in a large room, lying on a futon. In fact, the room was filled with futons, with only a single blanket on each of them, and no pillows. She recalled the king ordering Zorn to take her to the slave corridors. This must be where they slept.

' _No.'_  she thought.  _'I'm asleep right now. This is all a bad dream. There's no way I'm stranded on an alien planet inhabited by a bunch of brutes and enslaved by their heartless king.'_

"Excuse me, miss, are you all right?"

Bulma turned to the unexpected voice. She came face to face with a short alien with a round baldhead and two black beady eyes staring back at her, their faces inches apart.

Caught off guard by the alien's sudden appearance, Bulma cried out. The alien screamed as well, startled by Bulma's scream. As Bulma retreated under the blanket, the alien ran for cover elsewhere.

Bulma stayed under the covers, trying to calm her racing heart. Slowly, she peaked out from under the covers, seeing the alien peak out from behind the door at the same time.

"W-Who are you?" Bulma asked.

The alien stayed behind the protection of the door. "Gure is just a simple slave, miss. Gure mean you no harm."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Bulma came out from under the covers. "I'm sorry. This has just been quite a shocking day."

The alien nodded. "Gure knows what you mean, miss." She said, coming out from behind the door. "The saiyans can be a rather ruthless bunch." She gave Bulma a smile. "My name is Gure, miss. What's yours?"

"I'm Bulma." Her eyes fell on the damp cloth that had been placed on her head. "Were you the one who gave me this?"

The alien, Gure, nodded. "Yes, Miss Bulma. After Master Zorn dropped you off here, Gure stayed by your side to make sure you were all right."

Bulma smiled. This alien seemed nice. "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it."

Gure returned the smile. "You are most welcome, miss. Gure was happy to help. We slaves got to stick together."

The word 'slaves' made Bulma realize the situation she was in. "Slave? No way, I'm no slave." She stood up. "I'm getting out of here and going home right now."

Gure frowned. "Begging your pardon, miss, but that's not possible. No one can escape. Many have tried and have either been punished or killed. You are a slave to the saiyans now."

"The hell I am!" Bulma snapped. "There's no way I'll listen to a bunch of monkeys!"

Gure gasped. "Miss Bulma, please, you must not call the masters by such a name. They take great offense to it. You will get in big trouble."

Bulma humphed. "So what. I'm leaving right now. Just show me where the ships are, and I'm out of here."

Gure shook her head sadly. "Forgive Gure, miss, but that's not possible. Slaves are not allowed near the ships. The saiyans will punish us if we do not listen. It's better to do as were told and stay out of their way."

Bulma growled. So that was it? She was condemned to the life of a slave? No way! She wouldn't accept it. She had a whole other life that she had t get back to.

Gure stepped forward and grabbed Bulma's hand. "Come, miss. Gure is to show you what's expected of you once you've awoken. You will come, yes? Gure does not want to get in trouble."

Looking down into the alien's pleading face, Bulma felt her aggravation leave her. Would Gure get in trouble if Bulma didn't go along with her? Perhaps it would be better to lay low for a while and think things through for a bit. But one thing was for sure, she was not going to stay here and be a slave. No way in hell was that going to happen. She was going to escape and get back to Earth.

And when she did, she would be sure to take her new friend with her.

Sighing in resignation, Bulma gave in to the alien. "All right, what do I have to do?"

Gure grinned happily. "Miss will work with Gure. It will be so good to work with a friend. Come, Gure will show you what must be done."

Bulma let the small alien lead her. They ended up in a kitchen, a kitchen the size of a football field. The room was filled with slaves, all working frantically to cook up an already large feast.

"We always need help here in the kitchen." Gure told her. "The saiyans have a very,  _very_  high metabolism, so they need to eat a lot." She looked up at Bulma. "You can cook, can't you, Miss Bulma?"

"Just Bulma, and yes, I can cook. But I'm very good with machinery. Can't I work on repairs or something?"

Gure frowned. "I'm sorry, but Gure was ordered to bring you to the kitchen. If you want to work elsewhere, you'll have to tell the masters, but they may not listen."

Bulma sighed. "All right, where should I start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We've seen some interaction between Bulma and Vegeta. They didn't exactly get off on the right foot. He thinks she's a weak worthless slave – with a pretty face - and she thinks he's an arrogant jerk – that's kind of cute – not to mention she has a fiancé. The next few chapters will have little interaction between the two and will mostly be abut Bulma adapting to her new life, making friends, and trying to escape. Vegeta will have little to no role in the next couple of chapters, but he'll become a major character a little later. The real interaction between the two will happen when Bulma becomes his personal slave. Don't miss it.)


	3. A Few Friendly Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! Hello everyone. Remember how in the first chapter I said that I was unhappy with the title of this story and was open to suggestions for better ones, well I would like to thank romanticizer101 for providing me with one. Next time I update, this stories new title will be THE GENIUS IN THE SLAVE QUARTERS. With that said, here's the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 3: A Few Friendly Faces**

Bulma wiped the sweat from her brow. She had been working nonstop for hours. She was exhausted. She may know how to cook, but that didn't mean she was all that fond of it. Mechanics on the other hand, she could work with that for hours and still enjoy herself. She needed to get out of this kitchen as soon as possible.

"We must hurry, miss." Gure told her. "It is almost time for dinner, and there is still much cooking to be done."

Groaning, Bulma looked at the enormous feast that was already prepared. "Just how much do these saiyans eat? Surely this is more than enough."

"More than enough?" another slave snorted. "With this amount, there won't even be leftovers. And just so you know, leftovers are what  _we_  get to eat. So if we don't make enough for the masters, then we don't eat."

Mumbling under her breath, Bulma went back to work. When Gure had told her that she would be working in the kitchen, she hadn't thought that it would be so bad. But she had been dead wrong. Everyone had to work so hard and so quickly that they were wiped out. It was beyond a relief when it was announced that it would be time for dinner.

"Finally…" Bulma muttered, collapsing into a chair. "Now we can relax for a bit."

Gure lightly tugged on her sleeve. "No, Miss Bulma, not yet. Now we must serve the food."

Serve the food? Yeah, that should have been obvious. "Fine, can't be that hard."

Gure gave her a nervous smile. "Actually, Miss Bulma, this is the hardest part. Serving meals requires the most amount of work."

Bulma glanced at her. "Seriously? How hard can serving food be?"

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Hell. She was in Hell. That's all there was to it. Surely God hated her for something she had done without knowing and she was now being punished for it. The saiyans' appetites were insatiable. And disgusting. They gulped down the food as if they hadn't eaten in days. And they ate so damn much too, and so quickly. For Bulma and the others, it was a rush back and forth to the kitchen to get more food. Those damn saiyans ate faster than the food could be brought out.

Fortunately though, Bulma was working with Gure. This made her job easier since Gure served the royal family. They ate separately from the other saiyans, limited to only them and the top ranking saiyans, which lessoned the workload, though it was still an exhausting task.

Standing in the kitchen with a tray of food in her hands, Bulma openly wept. "When I get back to Earth, I promise to always leave big tips to whoever serves my food from now on."

"No time to rest now," Miss Bulma." Gure told her. "It's our turn next."

Wiping her eyes, Bulma nodded. A moment later, the door burst open and several slaves rushed in carrying dirty dishes of the previous meal. Bulma and Gure rushed out, carrying their food. Before them was a large table with a feast upon it. Several saiyans sat around the table, devouring anything that was within reach.

At the head of the table sat King Vegeta. To his left sat his son, Prince Vegeta. Bulma quickly rushed in between them, set down the plates, and took up the ones they cleared out. Glancing to her right, she saw Gure serving the other saiyan sitting beside the king. He greatly resembled the prince, though he was much shorter, and he looked younger. There was also one major difference; this saiyan had a friendly atmosphere to him. Bulma didn't sense any hostility from him as she did from the other saiyans.

Gure cleared away this Vegeta look-alike's dishes and set down her plates, sliding them in front of him. "Here you are, Prince Tarble."

' _So that explains why they look alike.'_  Bulma thought.  _'They're brothers.'_

The saiyan, Tarble, looked at Gure and gave her a smile. "Thank you, Gure. Don't work too hard."

Gure's cheeks turned a shade of pink. "I-I happy to serve you, my prince."

With a mouthful of food, King Vegeta turned to his youngest son. "Don't humor the slaves, Tarble. They're not worth your time. They're nothing more than possessions."

Bulma scowled at this, but held her tongue. However, she was glad to see that Tarble didn't share his father's views, evident when he frowned. "But, Father, they are still living creatures."

"Inferior creatures." The king replied. "We saiyans are the strongest race in the entire universe. Creatures like them are next to nothing to us. The weak serve the strong. It's as simple as that."

Tarble looked away with a defeated expression on his face. But then he saw the sad look on Gure's face, and his expression became more determined. "Is that why we serve Lord Frieza?"

The room went still, the tension suddenly so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Slowly the king turned to his youngest son, his eyes full of anger.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, he addressed his son. "Beware of what you say, my son. Do not forget who your king is."

Tarble winced and bowed his head, looking ashamed. "Forgive me, my king."

Bulma didn't hear anymore of the conversation since she had to run back to the kitchen. Once there, she slammed the tray of dirty dishes on the counter angrily.

"What a jerk!" she snapped. "Can you believe that guy, talking about us as if we're trash. And the way he put down his son in front of everyone. Those saiyans have no manners."

Gure patted her hand. "It's just the way things are done here, Miss Bulma. You just have to learn to accept it."

Bulma crossed her arms. "I can't take this. So far, the only saiyan who's shown any decency was the youngest son. Tarble was his name?"

Gure nodded. "Prince Tarble is one of the kindest people Gure knows. He has been very good to all of us. Gure would do anything for the young prince."

Bulma humphed. "Instead of putting him down, those stupid saiyans should follow his lead."

"They see it as being weak." Gure told her. "Saiyans are a warrior race. In their view, they must be strong and ruthless to be great. Truthfully, Prince Tarble is one of the weakest. Gure thinks that may be the reason for his kindness, because since he doesn't have the strength to match the others, he hasn't developed an attitude like them either. Furthermore, they see his compassion and peaceful ways as weak."

"So they're savages." Bulma muttered. "They need to catch up with the times."

"You need to catch up with us." Another slave snapped. "You're falling behind. Get another tray and get back out there."

Grumbling irritably, Bulma glared at the slave and went to retrieve another tray. Gure was right behind her, giving her a friendly smile. "Gure knows they all seems mean, Miss Bulma, but some of them are very kind."

Bulma snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

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The workload never seemed to end. Now that today's meals were over, it was time to clean up. And there were a  _lot_  of dirty dishes that needed to be washed. Bulma was ready to simply smash them all. She was exhausted from the day's work, and they still weren't done.

While they cleaned, they got to eat as well, feeding off the leftovers the saiyans didn't eat. Now Bulma understood the reason for having cooked so much. The saiyans ate so much that even when they were done there wasn't much left for the slaves.

"I'm not eating that!" Bulma cried in disgust. "It's already been half eaten. That's unsanitary. In fact, a lot of things are unsanitary around here."

Gure gave her a pleading look. "Please, Miss Bulma, you must eat."

"I will, just not that."

"But leftovers are all we have left. If you don't want it, you'll have to cook some more for yourself."

Bulma groaned. She was too tired to cook anymore, but she refused to eat what was offered. "I will not be treated like a dog and eat my master's leftovers. Forget it."

Gure sighed, but didn't force the issue. She's seen stubborn slaves like Bulma before. Eventually, hunger would get the best of her and she would eat.

Bulma returned to her cleaning. It was several hours later when someone else entered the kitchen. Bulma paid them no mind as she continued scrubbing, but a few happy cries from the slaves, including Gure, distracted her.

"Oh, they're here!" Gure exclaimed.

Bulma blinked. "Who's here?"

"Friends."

Gure pulled on her hand. Bulma followed her over to where two saiyans were. Bulma recognized them as high ranked saiyans from when she served dinner. They appeared to be father and son, both had black hair, one spiky and the other neatly combed down, and a friendly atmosphere about them. Also, rather than the traditional saiyan uniform, the adult saiyan was wearing orange clothes that looked like they belonged to a martial artist.

"Hello there." He said. "You must be the newcomer. My name's Goku." He placed his hand on the saiyan child's head. "And this is my son, Gohan. We came to welcome you."

Bulma glared at him. "Welcome me, huh? You're here to welcome me as a slave."

"Miss Bulma!" Gure exclaimed. "Please, these two are good friends."

Bulma crossed her arms. "Yet they still keep us as slaves."

"We don't approve of slaves." Said Gohan. "We've argued our case with the king several times, but he won't hear it."

Goku nodded. "That's why we want to try and make life as easy as and as comfortable as possible for you."

Bulma looked at them suspiciously. They seemed trustworthy enough, and Gure certainly liked them, so they couldn't be all bad.

"So what's your name?" Gohan asked.

Bulma lowered her guard a bit. "Bulma."

"Nice to meet you, Bulma. I hope we can be friends."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, if you ever need anything, just ask us."

Bulma perked up. "Really? Then can you help me escape?"

Both saiyans frowned. "Sorry, that's not possible." Said Goku. "We'd like to help, believe me, but we can't. And I would advice against trying to escape. The punishment is severe."

Bulma's fury returned. "Well, if you expect me to stay a slave for the rest of my life, then you've got another-"

"Gohan!"

A small green creature suddenly rushed past her leg and went to great the saiyan. A child slave that Bulma had seen around was grasping Gohan's hand, beaming happily.

"It's great to see you!" he cried.

Gohan smiled. "It's great to see you too, Shamo. How you doing? Not working too hard, I hope."

The little alien, Shamo, laughed. "What about you? It's been so long since you came to visit."

"We've been pretty busy." Goku told him. "But when we heard that there was a new servant-"

"Slave." Bulma corrected. "I'm nothing more than a slave. We all are. Just useless property to be discarded whenever."

Gure gave the two saiyans an apologetic look. "Please for give her. She's had a very rough day."

Goku nodded. "You don't have to say anything. We understand." He looked back at Bulma. "If you ever need anything, please feel free to ask us, and we'll do anything we can to help."

"Except help me escape." Bulma said stubbornly.

"Miss Bulma!"

"It's fine, Gure. It seems this isn't a good time. We'll come back the next chance we get. I hope we can become friends."

Looking disappointed, the two saiyans turned to leave. Bulma glared at their retreating figures.  _'Become friends? Not likely.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Goku and Gohan are here. And I've thought of a really interesting way to go back and forth between Goku's saiyan name and his human name, because having Vegeta call him Goku just doesn't sound right. Some more characters will be appearing later, so look forward to that. And remember, the next time I update, this story will be titled THE GENIUS IN THE SLAVE QUARTERS.)


	4. Escape Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I hope everyone found the story under its new title ok. Sorry if you had any trouble. As you can tell from the title, Bulma makes a break for freedom. Can you say big trouble?)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 4: Escape Attempt**

It had been a week since Bulma had become enslaved. Things repeated the same way everyday. But Bulma had no intention of keeping up this way of life. She had been planning out her escape for a while now, surveying the area, learning things about the saiyans, She discovered where the saiyans kept their spaceships, and she was planning on high-jacking one. She had taken the time to learn how saiyan technology worked, and she believed that she would be able to figure out how to work one of their ships.

Tonight, she was planning to leave tonight after everyone went to sleep. She just hoped she would have the energy to pull it off, because right now, as she rushed to serve dinner, she was feeling exhausted from working all day.

As she poured wine for Prince Vegeta, she looked across the table to where Goku sat, stuffing his face. He noticed her looking at him and waved at her. The movement caught Vegeta's eye, and he turned to his fellow saiyan.

"Kakarot, what are you doing?" he snapped.

Goku blinked. "Huh? Oh, I was, um, just signaling that I wanted some more. Over here, Bulma."

Frowning irritably, Bulma went to fill up Goku's glass. Vegeta watched him with a scowl on his face and a dark look in his eye. "You better eat your fill, Kakarot. I want you at your strongest for when we spar later."

"Sure thing." Goku replied, stuffing his mouth again. "Just  _please_  don't hit me in the gut."

Tarble glanced at his brother. "Oh, are the two of you going to fight again?"

Vegeta smirked. "It's just training, Tarble. And the first thing I'm going to do is hit him in the gut."

Goku laughed. "Aw, no mercy."

As the saiyans went back to their meal, Bulma returned to the kitchen. When she came back in, Gure noticed the confused look on her face.

"Miss Bulma, what's the matter?"

Bulma glanced back at the door she had come through. "I was just listening to Vegeta and Goku talk. He kept calling Goku Kakarot. What's up with that?"

"Oh, that?" said Shamo, coming up to her. "That's sort of a long story."

Bulma looked at the small green alien she had become friends with. "I've got time."

Shamo shrugged. "Well, to put it simply, Kakarot is Goku's birth name."

"He changed his name? Why?"

"It was mandatory for his training. You see, when he was a kid, he went to another planet to learn how to fight from a powerful person. And on that planet it's tradition that once a person completes the training that they take on a new name, so he settled for Goku."

"Huh." Such things weren't unfamiliar. Some cultures on Earth had people that took on new names at later stages in life, so it wasn't that strange. "What kind of stuff did he learn?"

Shamo shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it really changed him. He left as a determine saiyan, and came back as a kind and friendly person. Or so I've heard."

Bulma looked back at the door. "Then why is he sitting at the royal table? I thought only the most elite fighters can sit there."

"Goku is an elite fighter." Gure told her.

"But I thought showing compassion was seen as a sign of weakness."

Gure nodded. "It is, but Goku is the exception. You see, Prince Vegeta is the strongest of saiyans, but a few years ago there was a tournament. Goku and Prince Vegeta made it to the finals and ended up fighting. It was a very close match, but Goku managed to win."

This news shocked Bulma. "Really, he beat Vegeta?"

"That's why he gets special treatment. And ever since then, Goku and Prince Vegeta have become fierce rivals. The prince is always trying to pick a fight with him. He feels ashamed that a saiyan of common birth was able to defeat him. I suppose it was the special training that Goku received that made him so strong."

"Hmm." Bulma thought about this. "If Vegeta wants to surpass him, why doesn't he just have Goku teach him what he learned, or why doesn't he go find the guy that trained Goku."

Gure shook her head. "The prince is too stubborn and proud. He'd never ask Goku for help, and he's determine to surpass him on his own without having to obtain Goku's skills."

Bulma sighed as she prepared to go out again. "You know, where I come from, pride is one of the seven deadly sins. These saiyans need to learn such morals."

She headed out with a newly opened wine bottle. One of the saiyans, a large bald-headed man who Bulma knew was called Nappa signaled to her. She went over to him and began pouring him some wine.

Nappa grinned as she poured him wine. With a mischievous look in his eye, he uncurled his tail a smacked her rear-end. Bulma squealed and ended spilling some of the wine.

"Look what you did." Nappa told her. "You better clean that up."

"Yes, sir." Bulma replied angrily, knowing that he had deliberately made her spill.

She reached for a napkin, but Nappa grabbed her hand to stop her. "I don't think so. You've not wasting good wine. I want you to lap it up."

Bulma looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me. I want you to lap it up. Go on," he grabbed her by the hair, "do it."

Bulma cried out as he slammed her head onto the table, right on the puddle of spilled wine. He held her there, not letting her up, laughing.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Clean it up. Use that pretty tongue of yours."

Bulma struggled, but was unable to break free. "No! Let me go!"

"Not until you make that table shine." He told her. "Come on, girl, do it."

"Nappa, stop it." Vegeta scolded, though he didn't sound at all sincere. "The girl has a job to do. Save your games for later."

Grumbling, Nappa reluctantly let her go. Bulma pulled away and ran back into the kitchen, tears of humiliation running down her cheeks.

"Miss Bulma?" Gure asked as she rushed by. "Miss Bulma, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer. She just went into a corner, curled up, and wept. All her pent of frustration and depression ver the past week was finally coming out. She hated it here; she hated it! She wanted to go home. She wanted to be back among civilized people, she wanted to be wrapped in Yamcha's arms once again, she wanted to be in her parents' loving embrace. She wanted to be anywhere but here.

' _Tonight.'_  She reassured herself.  _'I'm leaving tonight. I just have to get through this one day. After that, I'm going home.'_

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While all the other slaves slept soundly, exhausted after a hard day's work, Bulma was sneaking out. She had to be very careful not to be seen; she'd be in big trouble if she was. Slaves weren't allowed out after dark, not to mention she was in a restricted area. The punishment would surely be severe.

She hid in the shadows as she snuck by a couple saiyans talking and laughing. Most of the saiyans were asleep, but some were still up and about, but she was able to avoid being seen by them.

She was approaching the place where all the ships were held. The door was closed and locked with a security code. Now would be the hard part. She had to crack the code, and that could take hours, but she was sure she could do it. Next she would have to open the dome and fly one of the saiyan ships out of here and hope no one came after her. It was very risky, but it was also her only hope.

"I thought as much."

Bulma nearly screamed at the unexpected voice. Turning around, she saw Goku standing a short distance away. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he have been sparring with Vegeta.

Sighing, Goku stepped forward. "I knew you would try to escape eventually, and after the way Nappa treated you today…" He shook his head. "You should go back to the slave corridors before you get in trouble."

Bulma stood up straight. "No way. I'm getting out of here. And you can't stop me."

"I'm not going to try." Goku told her. "But if you go through with this, they'll come after you. Letting a slave escape will be seen as an insult. They'll come after you and punish you. I don't want that."

Looking at him, Bulma could tell that he was being sincere. "Thank you for worrying about me, but I can't stay here. I have to get back. And not just because of the way I'm treated here. I have a family back on Earth. I'm engaged. Look." She held out her hand, showing him her engagement ring. "I have a fiancé waiting for me."

Goku blinked. "Um, what's a fiancé? Is that something you can eat?"

Bulma sighed. "No, it's the person I'm going to marry. The man who's going to be my husband."

Goku still looked confused "Marry? Husband? Oh, you mean the guy who's going to be your mate."

Bulma shrugged. "Sort of, but it's more than just a mate. You promise to love them forever, you exchange vows, you start a family with them."

Gokuy scratched his head. "I don't know about the exchanging vows part, but the rest sounds like you're describing a mate.

Bulma stamped her foot. "It's not as animalistic as that! But I suppose I shouldn't expect a saiyan to understand. We humans don't simply reproduce with just anyone. Sure we can fool around and 'have fun', but eventually we take on one permanent mate."

Goku still looked confused. "I don't see how that's any different than what we do."

"You mean saiyans are monogamous?"

"We're what?"

Bulma was about to explain further when she suddenly came to her senses.  _'Wait a minute. What am I doing having this conversation. I've got to leave.'_  "I'm sorry, Goku, but I don't have time to talk about martial statues with you. I have to go."

"Go?" came a new voice. "And just where would a slave be going?"

Both Bulma and Goku turned to the speaker. Bulma was horrified to see the brute from dinner walking down the hall followed by another saiyan with long black rock-star hair. It had been this one that had spoken, and was now looking at Goku questioningly.

"Kakarot, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Goku grinned. "Raditz! Hey, bro, what's up?"

Bulma's eyes widened.  _'Bro? That guy is Goku's brother?'_

Goku's brother, Raditz, crossed his arm. "Well, Nappa and I were on our way to see you and prince Vegeta spar, but look what we found instead. A slave trying to escape."

Nappa smirked. "Seems like this slave can't do anything right. She'll have to be punished."

Goku held up his hands. "Whoa, wait! She wasn't trying to escape. She just got lost and ended up here." He glanced at her. "Right, Bulma? You just got lost."

Bulma realized that he was trying to get her out of trouble. "Um, yeah, I just got lost."

"Lost or not," said Raditz, "slaves aren't allowed down here."

"But she didn't know that." Goku defended her. "She's new here, and no one told her that she wasn't allowed down here. She can't be punished for going somewhere she didn't know was forbidden."

Raditz's eyes narrowed. "Then the one responsible shall be punished for not teaching her how things work around here. I believe it was Gure, wasn't it?" With a smirk, he glanced at Nappa. "What do you say, Nappa? Shall we go teach Gure how to do things properly?"

Nappa grinned. "Sounds good to me."

Bulma suddenly realized that her friend was in trouble. "No! Don't you dare blame Gure! This is my fault. She told me everything. I decided to disobey your rules and come down here. I'm the one who deserves to be punished, not Gure."

Goku slapped his forehead as the other two saiyans grinned.

"Well then," said Raditz, "it appears that some discipline is in order."

They stepped forward, but Goku moved in their path, his arms held up to shield Bulma. "Stop right there!" he demanded, the friendly atmosphere he had vanishing completely.

They did, glaring at Goku angrily. "What do you think you're doing, brother?"

"Yeah," Nappa growled, "you know the rules."

Goku didn't back down. "I found her, I'll decide what her punishment should be."

"Nonsense." Raditz pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're far too soft, Kakarot. What will be your idea of punishment? A tickle fight?"

Goku grinned. "How about sending her to bed without dinner."

Both Raditz and Nappa looked horrified, as if such a punishment was worse than death. But Nappa got over his shock.

"No way! She needs proper discipline. I'll make sure she never misbehaves again."

He took another step forward. Goku decided that it was time to let out the big guns. "Do you want to challenge me?"

Nappa froze, a furious look crossing his face. It was clear that he wanted nothing more than to beat Goku within and inch of his life, but knew that he was too strong for him.

With an angry growl, he stepped back. "Fine, do what you want with her. But you'll be sorry. Come on, Raditz, let's go."

Reluctantly, the two saiyans left. Once they were gone, Goku sighed in relief. "That was too close. Things could have gotten real ugly."

Bulma glanced at him. "Goku, was that guy really your brother?"

With a sigh, Goku nodded. "Yeah, but we don't get along. He's just a big bully. But he's nothing compared to Nappa. That guy's really nasty. Make sure you stay away from him."

Bulma nodded. "I will, because I'm leaving now."

"You can't." Goku replied seriously. "Not right now. Not after being caught like that. It'll only end in your death. They'll be watching you now. You'll have to lay low for a while." He held out his hand for her. "Come on, I'll walk you back. There still maybe a danger from the two of them."

Bulma looked at his hand. Then she turned back to the sealed door, behind which were the saiyan spaceships. With a sigh, she reluctantly put her hand in Goku's and let him lead her back to the slave corridors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: She got off lucky. It's a good thing that Goku found her and not anyone else. Raditz and Nappa were truly horrified by the no dinner punishment, they just wanted to discipline her their own way. We won't be seeing the last of them. For now, Bulma has to grin and bare the slave life a little longer until suspicion of her escape lessons.)


	5. Frieza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Classes have started again, so it may delay my updating, but don't worry, I will always update. As you can probably tell, Frieza makes an appearance in this chapter and Bulma sees how badly the saiyans are abused by him and his men. And I warn you now, it is BAD. The saiyans are really harassed.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 5: Frieza**

Bulma had taken Goku's advice and decided to lay low for a while. It seemed that he had been right when he had said that she would be watched. Whenever she served meals, she always felt Nappa watching her with a hostile look on his face. It made her very uneasy, but at least he hadn't told the king or prince about her escape attempt; or so she assumed.

It did seem though that as time went on, he began to pay less and less attention to her. And finally, a month later, he seemed to once again ignore her presence. Bulma was relieved, but she decided to do her best to stay away from the overgrown brute.

After having been saved by Goku, Bulma was now on friendly terms with him, and his son. They were frequent visitors, always checking up on the slaves to make sure they were comfortable. Bulma had gotten used to their visits, and even looked forward to them.

But one day, she and the other slaves received a different visitor. Another saiyan that she hadn't seen before. Bulma was surprised by this unexpected visitor, but what surprised her even more was the worried look on his face. Never before had she seen a saiyan look worried.

"All right, you scum, listen up." The saiyan snapped at them. "Lord Frieza is coming, and we need everything to be perfect, do you hear?"

The reaction this statement got from everyone shocked Bulma. The slaves looked absolutely terrified, some even crying out fearfully, others cowering into the shadows, all of them blue in the face.

"Silence!" the saiyan snapped. "He will be arriving tonight. It was short notice for us too. So you better work harder than you've ever worked before. I trust you understand the consequences of displeasing Lord Frieza."

With nothing else to say, the saiyan turned and left. Once he was gone, pandemonium broke out. Bulma looked on in shock as the slaves ran about fearfully. Something told her she was missing something. What was the big deal with this Frieza person? She heard his name thrown around occasionally, but she didn't know anything about him.

Spotting her friend running by, Bulma stopped her. "Gure, what's wrong? Why's everyone so afraid?"

"Didn't you hear the announcement?" the little alien asked. "Lord Frieza is coming. We have to get ready."

That didn't tell her anything. "And just who is this Freiza?"

Gure gave her a look of disbelief. "You mean you don't know? He's the galactic overlord of the Planet Trade Organization. He alone controls over 79 planets, creating his army from the worlds he's conquered. There are thousands of races under his control."

Bulma blinked. Now she had even more questions. "And just what is the Planet Trade Organization?"

"It's the organization the saiyans are… employed by."

"You mean pirating planets and selling them to the highest bidder?"

Gure nodded. "Yes. After Lord Freiza conquered them, he forced them to join his army."

This news stunned Bulma. This Frieza character was the one behind everything? He was the one making the saiyans take over planets? This certainly changed things. Not that it excused the saiyans' barbaric nature, but it did take some of the blame off them. In the end, it was Frieza who was the true culprit. The saiyans were just one of his many victims.

"And everyone just does whatever he says? No one ever stands up to him?"

Gure once again looked stunned. "No one  _can_ stand up to him. He's far too powerful, and he's unbelievably cruel. He kills just for fun. No one wants to actually give him a reason to come after them." She gave Bulma a serious look. "No one survives once Frieza decides to kill them. No one."

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If Bulma didn't know any better, she would have thought the saiyans were preparing for the coming of God with the way they were behaving. She watched from the window as a large crowd gathered outside, waiting for this Frieza character.

Eventually, a large ship came down from the sky and landed near the crowd. Bulma raised an eyebrow at the strange spiky aircraft, wondering who designed it; it was unlike any ship she'd ever seen before.

A wave of tension ran through the crowd of saiyans, so great that Bulma could feel it. It was very unusual to see a race of such powerful and proud people rendered to such cowards.

As the ship opened and a ramp came own, Bulma attempted to get a look at this Frieza. So far, only a group a soldiers had exited, all wearing saiyan uniforms; or were the saiyans wearing these people's uniforms?

The soldiers all lined, facing each other. A few seconds later, a large fat dark pink alien covered in spikes stepped out. Bulma's eyes widened upon seeing him. The guy certainly looked intimidating. No wonder the saiyans were so nervous.

"Wow, this Frieza guy sure looks mean." She commented.

Gure appeared beside her, looking down at the visitors. "Miss Bulma, that's not Lord Frieza. That's his bodyguard, Dodoria."

Bulma sighed in relief. "Oh, right. Well that's good."

That's when another alien exited the ship. He too wore the saiyan uniform, and also a cape. He was incredibly handsome, with pale blue skin and green hair. Hearts appeared in Bulma's eyes as she looked at the pretty boy.

"Oh wow, he's gorgeous! I've never seen such a good-looking guy. Lord Frieza must be my prince." She sighed dreamily. "I think I'm in love."

Gure cleared her throat. "Um, Miss Bulma, that's Zarbon, Lord Frieza's other bodyguard."

Bulma blinked, then laughed nervously. "I knew that. There's no way someone so hot could be so evil."

Gure sweat-dropped.  _'Wanna bet?'_

At that moment, a small one-person hovercraft floated out of the ship. On it was a devilish looking alien, complete with horns. The saiyans all bowed down before this person.

Bulma looked at Gure. "Is that…?"

Gure nodded. "Lord Frieza."

Bulma turned back to the one that caused everyone so much fear. Suddenly she burst out laughing. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Look at him, he's only, like, four feet tall."

Gure looked horrified. "Miss Bulma, please, you must not say such things." She gave her a serious look. "All our lives hang in the balance."

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It was with great reluctance that Vegeta dropped to his knees before the mighty Frieza. It hurt his pride to do so. He was the prince of all saiyans, the mightiest race in the universe. The only one he should be bowing down to was his father, not this alien reject.

But he knew that he had no choice. Frieza's strength greatly surpassed his own. He would have to bide his time until he was strong enough. Then he would overthrow the tyrant once and for all. But until then…

"My Lord Frieza," said his father, "we are greatly honored to have you here with us."

Frieza grinned at the king. "There's no need to bow down. Saiyans are already at the very bottom."

The king winced, but did as he was told and stood up. "What brings you here to our planet, my lord? No one told us the reason for your coming."

Frieza shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, nothing special. I was just passing through the system and decided to pay my old friend a visit. It has been a while."

King Vegeta nodded. "You know you are always welcome here, my lord. Our planet is your planet."

Zarbon chuckled. "Actually, it's  _only_  Lord Frieza's planet. He's just generous enough to let you live on it."

The king's fists clenched and he resisted the urge to hit the green-haired man. "Of course."

Dodoria decided to join in on the fun. "A planet does need a zoo. And what better place to keep monkeys?" He glanced at the king. "Wouldn't you agree?"

King Vegeta did his best to keep his expression neutral, but the bulging vein in his head gave away how furious he was. "Y-Yes."

Frieza found this amusing. "So tell me, Vegeta, how's your son?" That's when he spotted the prince. "Oh, there you are. And how is the prince of saiyans?"

Vegeta took a moment to control his voice. "I am… well, my lord."

Frieza's smirked. "Are you sure? You seem rather tense." He chuckled. "And how is your little brother? I don't see the saiyan reject anywhere."

From within the crowd of saiyans, Tarble stepped forward. "I-I'm here, m-my lord."

"Tarble," said Frieza, "hello there. How's the runt of the family?"

Tarble was visibly trembling. "F-Fine."

Dodoria laughed. "Look at him shake. I think he has to go to the bathroom. The poor monkey looks like he's about to wet his pants." He stepped towards the terrified prince. "That'd actually be pretty funny to see. Go ahead, boy, do it."

Humiliation crossed with the fear on Tarble's face. "B-But…"

"What?" Dodoria asked. "You can't tell me that it's unsanitary. After all, don't monkeys usually throw around their own crap? So piss shouldn't be a problem."

Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, pretending that he was somewhere else, Tarble did as he was told. This earned a big laugh from Frieza's henchmen, and a grin from the wicked alien himself.

"Well I'll be damned, he actually did it." Dodoria remarked.

Frieza glanced at the king. "Vegeta, your son is an absolute disgrace, even among saiyans. Why don't you just kill him and save what little pride you have?"

If looks could kill, Frieza and his men would be dead many times over. King Vegeta looked like he wanted nothing more than to slaughter the alien overlord, but he kept himself in check. "If you would come this way, my lord, we have a fabulous feast prepared for you."

Frieza smirked at the saiyan king's change in topic. "Oh, you mean you've actually managed to not devour everything? I suppose miracles do happen." His grin widened. "Lead the way, my friend."

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From the top window, Bulma looked on in disbelief at what had happened. Never would she have believed it. The mighty and proud saiyan race were reduced to less than nothing before the galactic overlord. It was shocking. Were they always abused like this? No wonder they were so bitter.

"How could they let him treat them like that?"

Gure had tears in her eyes as she watched Tarble. "Because they can't do anything to stop it. Lord Frieza could wipe them all out easily." Her bottom lip trembled. "Oh, Prince Tarble."

Placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, Bulma looked at the shamed prince. She couldn't believe that Dodoria guy made him humiliate himself like that in front of everyone. It was degrading, it was cruel, and Frieza and his men took pleasure in it.

At that moment, Bulma hated Frieza and his men more than anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I warned you. Frieza and his men are really cruel. Especially to poor Tarble. But as cruel as they are, it's going to lead somewhere, so you won't want to miss the next chapter.)


	6. Outright Defiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, in this chapter Bulma has al that she can stand. Weeks of pent up frustration finally comes pouring out, and not a the best time.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 6: Outright Defiance**

It was really getting to Bulma. The way these people were treating the saiyans was disgusting. She and the other slaves weren't even treated as bad as Frieza and his men were treating the saiyans. They insulted and put them down at every turn, especially Dodoria.

She never would have thought it possible, but she felt sorry for the saiyans. No one deserved to be put down like this. And the fact that the saiyans were such a proud race made it even worse for them, yet they could do nothing about it.

"So," Frieza remarked at dinner, "Ankoku has finally been conquered. It's about time. I was beginning to think I'd have to get my own men on it."

King Vegeta's eye twitched irritably. "It was… a difficult assignment, my lord, but we managed to get the job done."

"By learning from the real warriors." Zarbon remarked. "Monkey see, monkey do. Isn't that right?"

The king didn't respond, though he clearly wanted to return the insult. However, his grip on his goblet became so tight that it shattered.

"Oh my," said Frieza, "looks like you made a mess."

"Monkeys are filthy creatures." Dodoria replied.

On the other side of the table, Goku jumped to his feet, slamming his hands down on the table. He looked just as furious as the rest of the saiyans. "Excuse me." he grumbled, and left the room.

Frieza regarded him for a moment then let him go. "No manners either."

From within the kitchen, Gure peaked through the door with wide eyes. "Wow, Goku must be really upset if he walked out during a meal."

Bulma scowled. "I don't blame him. Frieza and those guys are real jerks."

Gure covered her mouth. "Please, Miss Bulma, do not say such things. You're going to get us in trouble."

Ignorant of what Frieza and his men were truly capable of, Bulma disregarded Gure's warning. "So what? Someone needs to teach them some manners."

"Please don't." Shamo begged. "We'll all suffer."

Bulma growled. "Ok, fine."

But as she served dinner with the other slaves, and heard the saiyans get taunted and harassed, it added fuel to the fire. If the results of school bullying was anything to go by, it was no wonder the saiyans were such a rotten bunch after being put down so much.

But while Bulma was angry, Gure was terrified. And in her fear, as she placed down a tray in front of Dodoria, she accidentally knocked over his goblet, spilling wine across the table.

"Hey!" Dodoria cried. "You little retch! You spilled my drink."

Eyes wide with terror, Gure dropped to her knees and bowed her head. "I'm so sorry! It was an accident. Please forgive me, I beg of you."

The alien growled. "Forgive this!"

Tarble cried out as he watched Dodoria hit the little alien, but a warning look from his father kept him in place. Bulma, on the other hand, quickly ran to Gure's side. She appeared to be unconscious from the blow.

"Oh no! Gure, are you all right." She received no reply. "Please, say something."

Dodoria snorted and turned back to his meal. "Serves the bitch right."

Bulma glared at him. "You big creep." She muttered quietly.

Dodoria froze, having heard her, and slowly turned back. "What did you call me, girl?"

Bulma winced. She hadn't meant for him to hear that. "Um, nothing."

But Dodoria wasn't about to let the insult go. "I heard you. Now what did you say to me?"

Well, she was already in trouble, so… "Fine then." She stood up straight. "I called you a big creep, because that's exactly what you are." Looking at the others, she decided that since she was in trouble already, she might as well have her say. "All of you. You're all a bunch of jerks, putting them down like that all the time. Does that make you feel like big men? You're insults do nothing more than reveal you own insecurities."

Dodoria jumped to his feet. "How dare you!"

Ignoring him, Bulma turned her attention to the saiyans. "And what's wrong with all of you? Ever since I came here I've heard nothing about what great warriors you are. How you're the strongest, most fearsome race in the universe, yet you let these guys push you around. And you," she focused on King Vegeta, "you're supposed to be their king. How can you let them put your people down like this? Why don't you stand up for yourself?" She motioned to Frieza. "That guy isn't even half your size, yet you cower before him. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Why you little…" Dodoria growled. He turned to King Vegeta. "Is this how you let your slaves behave? It's no wonder you're weak. You can't even train a slave properly. You have no control over them."

Knowing that all their lives were at stake, the king bowed to Frieza. "Forgive me, my lord. She is a new slave and has yet to be broken. We would never allow our slaves to behave as such." He started towards Bulma. "I'll care her myself to make up for it."

Bulma fell back as the king approached her, ready to strike. He was really going to do it; he was going to kill her.

"Wait." King Vegeta froze. Slowly he looked back to Frieza, who was regarding Bulma curiously. He motioned for the king to step aside, and then addressed Bulma. "Come here, girl."

Slowly, fearfully, she got to her feet and approached the alien. He studied her for a moment before pressing a button on the device attached to his head.

"Power level four." He commented. "That's laughable." He crossed his arms. "What's you name, girl?"

She swallowed, trying to find her voice. "B-Bulma. Bulma Brief."

"Bulma." Frieza repeated. "And is what the king said true? Are you new here?" At her nod, he continued. "Then do you know who I am?"

She shrugged. "You're Frieza. I've heard you name thrown around a couple of times, but I really have no idea who you are."

Frieza chuckled. "Well, that explains it. Anyone who knows who I am wouldn't dare to speak like that." He studied her some more. "You're so spirited, and so strong willed. I'll enjoy seeing you broken." He looked at King Vegeta. "I want this girl to be trained properly. I want to see her spirit break. Do I make myself clear? Use whatever methods you choose, but she is to remain alive. The next time I come, I expect to see her as an obedient servant who only knows how to say 'Yes, master'. Is that clear?"

The king nodded. "As you wish, my lord."

Zarbon looked surprised by this. "But, my lord, how can you allow her to speak to you like that and not have her pay?"

Frieza snickered. "Ignorance is different from insolence. The girl had no idea of what she was really getting herself into, so that changes things a bit."

Dodoria sneered at Bulma. "Hey, you best get down on your knees and thank Lord Frieza for not having you punished."

Frieza gave him a curious look. "Not having her punished? Oh now, Dodoria, I didn't say that. I said she is not to be killed. Ignorant or not, she did insult me, and that can't go unpunished. How else is she to be a good slave unless she suffers for her misdeeds?"

Dodoria grinned at this. "Of course, my lord. And if you'll allow it, I shall be the one who carries out her punishment. May I?"

Frieza shrugged. "Knock yourself out. Just be careful with her head. It'd be a shame to bruise such a lovely face."

Dodoria's smirk grew as he cracked his knuckles. "Excellent."

He began walking towards her with a hungry look in her eyes.

"No, wait!" Suddenly, Tarble was at her side, grabbing her arm. "I will be the one to punish her. I'll see to it that she suffers."

"That's not your call to make." King Vegeta told him.

But Frieza chuckled. "Oh, you might as well let him have his fun. The boy's so weak that this is probably the only time he can actually beat someone up."

This earned a laugh from his men. Even Dodoria seemed satisfied with this and sat down. Swallowing down the humiliation, Tarble bowed and pulled Bulma out of the room.

Once the door closed behind them, he released her arm and took her hand. "Lets go."

Bulma cried out as she was pulled along at great speed. The next thing she knew, the two of them were in an empty room, Tarble's back pressed to the door.

"That was close." He muttered. Looking back at Bulma, he gave her a smile. "Are you ok?"

Bulma blinked. "Um, yeah. But what are you going to do to me?"

Tarble looked confused. "Do? I'm afraid I don't…" He suddenly realized what she meant. "Oh, no. I'm not going to do anything. I just wanted to get you out of there."

"So… you're saying that you saved me?"

The saiyan nodded. "It's to repay you for saving Gure."

A slight blush appeared on his face when he said this. Bulma raised an eyebrow at his red cheeks.  _Could he…? No, can't be.'_

Tarble shyly scratched the back of his head. "I wish I could have worked up the courage to help her."

"So why didn't you?"

Tarble gave her a shocked look. "You mean stand up against Frieza and his men? That's suicide. I can't help Gure if I'm dead. Anyone who defies Lord Frieza is killed." He gave her a curious look. "Truthfully, I'm surprised you're still alive after the way you spoke in front of him."

Bulma thought about Frieza. Sure, the guy was a little creepy looking, but what made him so terrifying?

When she asked, Tarble just sighed. "Perhaps if you had a Scouter you would understand."

Scouter. She'd heard that term before. Wasn't that what the devices on their faces were called? "Just what is a Scouter?"

Confirming her thoughts, Tarble tapped the device on his head. "This is a Scouter. It serves several functions. It acts as a communicator, can relay information, locate power sources, and read power levels."

Thinking back, Bulma recalled Frieza stating that her power level was a four after pressing a button on his Scouter. So that's what it was. "So, my power level is a four, huh? And what's Frieza's?"

Tarble shifted uncomfortably. "At last reading, 275,000."

Bulma paled. "T-T-Two hu-hundred…"

Tarble nodded. "I know, it's really high. And a person with a power level of 300 has enough power to destroy a planet. Lord Frieza could wipe us out in a heartbeat." He sighed sadly. "And that's probably not even his true power. But the Scouter can't read a power level much higher than that without short circuiting."

This made Bulma curious. "Can I see it?" she asked, motioning towards the Scouter.

Tarble looked surprised, but handed it over to her. Bulma studied it carefully, testing it out, and even opening it up to see the inner mechanics.

"Wow, this is pretty wild stuff." She commented. "So how's it work? How's it read power levels?"

"It absorbs a portion of the energy a person gives off and analyzes it."

"Hmm." She thought about this a moment. "That's probably why it short circuits, because it takes in too much power. But I'm sure I'll be able to get it to work a different way so it won't short circuit anymore."

Tarble's eyebrows rose. "You can do that?"

Bulma gave him a confident smile. "Sure. I am a genius back where I come from." She looked back at the Scouter. "What I don't understand is why you rely on these things. Why don't you just sense what you opponent's power is?"

"What do you mean?"

She tried to think back to what Yamcha had told her about sensing power levels. "Well, from where I come from, the people have learned to be able to sense other people's power level. They can't get an exact number like these things, but it's enough to know how strong someone else is. They can also tell if someone is suppressing their power or not, something I'm willing to bet that these Scouters can't pick up on."

This was news to Tarble. "Your people can suppress their power? How's that possible?"

Bulma shrugged. "Beats me. I'm an inventor, not a fighter. I just know that it's possible."

An inventor. That explained why she was so smart. "So, you invent things?" Tarble asked.

Bulma smiled proudly. "You bet. I learned everything from my father. He's the one who invented capsules?" At Tarble's confused look, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a box. "These are capsules." She told him, taking one out of the box."

Pressing the button at the top, she tossed it aside.  _POOF!_  It exploded in a puff of smoke. And once the smoke cleared, a motorcycle lay in the middle of the room.

Tarble jumped back in surprise. "That's… that's incredible! How'd you do that?"

Bulma casually walked up to the motorcycle and put it back in its capsule. "It'd take too long to explain, but it basically condenses the matter of an object, making it pocket size."

Tarble's eyes were wide with amazement as he watched her place the capsule back in the box with the others. "Could… could I see those?"

"Hmm?" She glanced at the box. There was nothing in them that was harmful. She tossed it to the saiyan. "Sure, why not. Have fun with them." She went back to examining the Scouter. "No offense, but you people are seriously behind with you technological advances. What you do have is different from what we have on Earth, but you're still way behind us. You saiyans pride yourselves on strength, but on Earth, we say that knowledge is power."

Tarble glanced at her again. This woman was incredible. She was far too useful to be a mere slave. He would have to do something about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Quite an unexpected turn of events. Bulma just made herself stand out from the other slaves, and she soon going to make a name for herself. Did you think Vegeta would step in and rescue her? Ha, ha, wrong! It was Tarble since she defended Gure. Vegeta/Bulma interaction will come later. Although she has absolutely no idea how lucky she is to still be alive. The only reason Frieza didn't kill her was because he found her ignorance amusing. But you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens.)


	7. Promoted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: In this chapter, Bulma finally gets the recognition she deserves. Well, sort of. Let's just say her talk with Tarble pays off.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 7: Promoted**

The day after Frieza and his men left Planet Vegeta, the king was still fuming. Damn that miserable alien, and the entire Cold Clan. Someday, someday Frieza will fall, and they would all be free from him.

' _We'll make them pay.'_  He vowed.  _'No matter how long it takes, one day we shall take down that tyrant.'_

Sitting on his thrown, he thought about the progress of his first son. The prince was without a doubt the strongest of all saiyans, a fact that the king was very proud about, but it wasn't enough to defeat Frieza. No, at the moment, his son was only strong enough to stand up to Qui, one of Frieza's top soldiers. But there was still Zarbon and Dodoria, not to mention the Ginyu Force, and then Frieza himself. How could they find a way to win?

So far, their best bet was the transformation. Saiyans had a very unique ability relating to their tails. While a saiyan had his tail, and should he look at the full moon, Blutz Waves coming off the moon will be absorbed through their eyes, triggering a transformation to a giant monstrous ape, with ten times as much power as a saiyan in their normal form.

Unfortunately, a saiyan's mind was taken over by destructive instincts while in this form, making them a rampaging monster, but his son had managed to overcome this and keep his mind intact even while transformed. But even then he still wouldn't be a match for Frieza.

' _If only the legend were true.'_  He thought miserably.

"Father!"

His thoughts were interrupted by his second son. Feeling a headache coming on, the king turned to his second son, massaging his temple. "What is it?"

Tarble respectfully bowed to his father and king. "Father, I regret not being able to come to you sooner, but I have something very important to talk to you about. It concerns the new slave, Bulma."

King Vegeta groaned. "What of her now? If she's causing trouble, then just beat her or something."

Tarble shook his head. "No, Father, it's not that. She's done nothing wrong. But I spoke with her recently, and she's told me a great many things, things that may be of great help to us."

King Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "A slave? Be useful? Other than work and pleasure, what way could a slave possibly be useful?"

"She knows things, Father. Things that will be very useful to us."

The king looked bored. "Like what?"

But his boredom was quickly dispelled as his son told him of what he spoke with Bulma about. The ability to sense and suppress energy was very interesting. He also took great interest in the capsules and the things inside them. Though getting stronger was definitely top priority, the king was also aware of what great knowledge was capable of.

"So what do you think?" Tarble asked.

"Hmm…" The king stroked his beard. "Very interesting. I wonder what else this girl has. Guard!"

The saiyan by his side stood straighter. "Sir?"

"What's become of the ship she arrived in?"

"My king, it was rendered unable to fly and sent to the junkyard."

"Anything on board?"

"No one bothered to check, sir. It was immediately discarded after her capture."

The king got to his feet. "Then lets go see what the ship contains that may be of use."

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After the ship was retrieved, the king and other saiyans took their time to explore it. They were surprised by what they had found. Technology that surpassed their own in many ways, strange devices that did unusual things, features to the ship that amazed them all.

"Who were the ones that brought this girl in?" the king demanded.

"It was Brock and Onion, sir." A saiyan replied.

"And why did they not pillage the ship after her capture."

"I'm afraid I do not know, sir."

The king growled. "Imbeciles. What if all of this had been lost to us?"

Walking around curiously, he ended up beside a saiyan that was working with the computer. He went to stand beside his subject, looking down at what he was doing. "Well, what have you found?"

"I'm not sure, sir, but I have never seen such complex-"

Upon pushing a button, a red light came on in the room, and their bodies suddenly felt unimaginably heavy. The saiyans all groaned, some dropping to their knees.

"What… is… this…?" the king grumbled.

"The… gravity… has… changed…" the saiyan beside him replied.

With great effort, he reached up and pushed the button again. The gravity returned to normal, and they all relaxed.

Getting to his feet, the king gave the computer an incredulous look. "A device that can alter gravity? Incredible. That could be very useful for training."

Actually, several things were found that could be useful for training, including strange robots with great strength that could reflected energy blasts. And all these things were from that woman's home planet? It was unbelievable.

Perhaps his son was right. This girl could be of great use to them.

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Bulma had no idea why she was being taken from the kitchens. Some saiyan grunts had just showed up, demanded that she come with them, and then began dragging her away before she could even respond.

From the looks of it, she was being led to the throne room. Was she being taken to see the king? Why? What'd she do? Was this about the Frieza incident? She'd thought she'd already been 'punished' by Tarble for that.

Whatever the reason was, she was about to find out, because she was indeed brought to the throne room. King Vegeta sat on his throne with a scowl on his face, his first son standing to his right with a similar expression. But what made Bulma relax was Tarble, standing on his father's left side, giving her a reassuring smile.

The saiyan brute dragging her suddenly threw her to the floor before the king. With an annoyed growl, she glared up at the bully. "Is that any way to treat a lady?"

The siaiyan responded by pressing his foot down on her back, preventing her from rising. "Be silent. The king wishes to speak to you."

"You could have just said that from the beginning and I would have come without a fight."

"Quiet!" the king snapped impatiently. He motioned to the saiyan holding her down and Bulma was let up. "You, girl, I've been hearing good things about you from my son."

Bulam knew which son he was talking about, since she had only actually spoken to one of the princes, but she was so angry that she decided to annoy the king. "Which son, my lord? You have two."

"My youngest." The king growled impatiently. "He says you know things that could be of use to us. According to him, back on your home planet, your warriors have learned to detect a person's power level without the use of a scouter."

Bulma shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"It's true then?"

"As far as I know. My fiancé is a martial artist. He was taught how to sense other's energy, increase and mask his own, and be able to locate someone by sensing their energy."

A look of interest appeared in the king's eye. "How is this done?"

She shrugged again. "Don't know. I'm an inventor, not a fighter. I never learned how to do it."

The king looked slightly disappointed. "An inventor, yes, my son mentioned this as well. Apparently your planet's technology surpasses our own."

Bulma nodded. "Yeah, it does. Like I told him, you do what stuff that we don't, but what you do have is almost primitive compared to us."

The king held out his hand to reveal a capsule. "Such as this?"

Bulma recognized the object. "Yeah, my dad invented those."

"Interesting." He sat back. "We also examined your ship and found rather interesting things. The gravity changer was most impressive."

"I don't see what you're getting at."

"It could be used for training our warriors. Tell me, how high can you make it?"

"Hmm? Well, lets see. It's mostly just used to help adjusting to the gravity on different planets. I think it can go up to about 100 times normal gravity."

"Can you increase it?"

This surprised Bulma. "Huh? You want me to increase it? By how much?"

It was Prince Vegeta that answered. "I want it to go up to at least 500 times normal gravity."

Bulma felt her stomach drop. "W-What? You want to increase it to… to… Are you kidding? You'll be flattened!"

"That's not your concern! You're a slave and will do as you're told!"

Tarble came to Bulma's defense. "Careful, big brother. She's no ordinary slave. She could become a valuable asset for us in defeating Frieza with what she could bring to us."

The king suddenly backhanded his youngest son. The idiot. You don't say something like that. Making the woman think she was needed and was in no danger would make her defiant and unafraid.

Bulma winced when she saw Tarble go down. "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

"Quiet." the king ordered. "You will speak only when spoken to." He took a moment to regain his composure. "After considering the circumstances, I have decided that you will be more useful outside of the kitchen. You're new role will be creating training equipment for my men to train with. Whatever may be useful from your home world, or anything that you can invent will now be made by you. This type of training may just be good enough to make us strong enough to defeat Frieza." He leaned forward, staring at Bulma. "That's your new role in life. You are to use any means necessary to make my men stronger. Especially my eldest son. I'm giving you to him as his personal slave."

Bulma's eyes widened. "What?"

She glanced at the prince in surprise. He didn't seem too thrilled with the idea either. He didn't like the idea of having a slave running after him all the time. And he didn't make a secret of it either.

"Why must I have her?" he demanded.

"Because what she can bring to us, to you, may make you strong enough to defeat Frieza." His father replied.

Vegeta grumbled irritably. "How annoying."

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Bulma looked around her new room. She had been taken from the slave corridors and made to stay here, close to Vegeta. The prince seemed just as unhappy about the situation as she was. It didn't seem like the two of them would get along so well.

On a happier note, at least she had made it out of working in the kitchen. And now she was going to get back to working with technology. She was certainly happy about that.

"Hey, servant girl!" Bulma turned, only to have Vegeta's armor pressed into her arms. "Have that washed."

Bulma looked down at the armor in her hands. Suddenly angry, she threw it on the floor. "No!"

Vegeta glanced at her, not sure if he heard right. "What?"

"I said no! You heard your father. I'm to use my intelligence to come up with ways to make you guys stronger. Washing clothes does not fall under that category. Do it yourself, or get another slave to do it."

Vegeta growled irritably. "Listen here, woman, regardless of what my father said your job is, he also gave you to me. That means you are to do as I say."

She glared at him. "Or what? You'll kill me. You do that and you can kiss your chances of beating Frieza goodbye."

The prince took an angry step towards her. "You little… You'd best not try my patience, woman."

Bulma crossed her arms. "My name is Bulma! I'm person, not a thing! Get that through your thick head." The two of them stared at each other for a moment. "I'll tell you what, if you  _ask_  me, rather than order me, I'll wash your stuff."

Vegeta's eyes flashed angrily. "W-What? I'm the prince of all saiyans. I don't have to ask. You for get your place, woman."

"It's Bulma. B-U-L-M-A. Bul-ma. Now just say, 'Bulma, could you please wash those for me', and I'll do it. It'd save you a lot of aggravation."

The saiyan was seething furiously. How dare this girl defy him like that! Who did she think she was? She clearly didn't understand her place. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to blast her. But like she said, he'd lose his chance to beat Frieza.

He was getting a headache. It wasn't worth fighting with her. "F-Fine. Wash those for me, Bulma."

"Say please."

"DO NOT TEST ME, WOMEN!"

Bulma sighed.  _'Well, at least it's a start. These saiyans really do need a lesson in manners.'_  She held her chin up high, walking past him. "Fine, I'll go take care of this now."

That's when a stench hit her nose. It was coming from Vegeta. Apparently, after training all day, he had yet to bathe.

"And while I'm washing this, you should get yourself cleaned up. You smell terrible. Haven't your people invented deodorant yet?" She glanced at him and saw him standing there with a confused look on his face. "Well, what are you waiting for? You want me to roll out the red carpet?"

Shock and anger appeared on Vegeta's face. The nerve of that girl! He should kill her now, or perhaps beat her. But then again, that probably wouldn't leave her in any condition to build anything.

' _She needs to learn who the master is.'_  He thought, then headed to the bathroom to shower, telling himself that he was only taking one because he really  _did_  need to wash, not because she told him to.

While the saiyan prince showered, Bulma went about here business. After tossing his clothes in the wash, she returned to his room and knocked on the door. "Hey, you ok in there?"

"You can leave now!" came Vegeta's irritated reply.

Bulma scowled. Prince or not, he really needed a lesson in manners. And she was determined to teach him these manners.

She got her chance when he finished his shower and barked out another command to her. "Servant girl, fetch me a towel!"

Glaring at the door, Bulma placed her hands on her hips and refused to budge. "I told you, my name is Bulma. Now say please."

There was a moment of stunned angry silence from the saiyan prince before he replied, "Never mind, forget the towel!"

"Fine, drip dry!"

From inside the bathroom, she heard the familiar sound of him powering up. Bulma's fury skyrocketed at that. The creep and gone and powered up to force the water off his body, meaning the bathroom was now a mess that she had to clean up. The jerk! He'd done that on purpose.

But her scowl was replaced by a satisfied smirk when she heard his next words.

"W-What is this?"

"What?"

"These garments you left me. Are they for a man, or a woman?"

Bulma's bottom lip trembled as she tried not to laugh. "What, I thought they were nice. They'd be considered a fashion statement on Earth."

"This isn't Earth!"

The door burst open to reveal the saiyan prince wearing a pink shirt that had the words 'BAD BOY' written on it. "This is ridiculous! I am a warrior, not fashion model!"

She couldn't hide her smile any longer. "Well, at least you smell good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Finally some real interaction between Bulma and Vegeta. They'll be a lot more of it in the future, and a lot of arguing. But as Future Trunks said, they'll find their way towards each other.)


	8. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry for the delay. This semester has me really busy with class work. Here's the next installment.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 8: Training**

She may be annoying, but the girl was no doubt a genius. In hardly any time, she had built what she called a gravity simulator for the saiyans to train in. Along with it, she built small robots that would shoot beams of energy at them while they trained. Furthermore, to help them with their speed and reflexes, she made the robots and the walls, floor, and ceiling able to repel energy blasts. Combined with the gravity now being 150 times what it normally was, the training was very tough.

Vegeta had demanded his own training room with his own gravity simulator. He was much stronger than the others, and capable of handling more. He always trained at no less than 300 times normal gravity. Everyday he came back to his room half dead, carrying several destroyed training robots to be repaired.

Bulma sighed as she stared down at the destroyed robots. From the looks of it, she would be pulling another all-nighter fixing these things. How annoying.

' _If he keeps this up, he's going to get himself killed.'_

There had been several close calls so far. If it wasn't for the Senzu beans, others would have. But just how had the saiyans come to learn of the Senzu beans? It was actually Tarble's fault. He'd pushed himself too hard. He attempted to train at 100 times normal gravity. It had been too much for him, and he had spent nearly an hour getting crushed into the floor.

Bulma had given him a Senzu bean to get him back on his feet. After that, the rest the beans had been taken and gardened to grow more. Bulma wondered, with all her genius, why she hadn't thought of that. Not only did the seemingly magic beans heal, but they also kept whoever ate them full for ten days, though, for the saiyans, it only kept them full for about one day. So the beans were now harvested and grinded up to they could be sprinkled over the saiyans' food so they wouldn't eat as much. This left more food for the kitchen slaves, and more free time.

And because of this free time, both Gure and Shamo had come to visit Bulma. After hearing what had become of her, they had been worried. Vegeta was known for his ruthlessness, and they had been afraid for her welfare with having the saiyan prince as her master.

"It hasn't been that bad." Bulma told them. "I mean, sure he's pushy and rude, and arrogant, and stubborn, and annoying, and… and… where was I going with this?"

Gure chuckled. "You were saying he wasn't so bad."

"Right, yeah. He basically leaves me alone for the most part, letting me go about my business. He's almost always training though."

Shamo nodded. "He's determined to defeat Lord Frieza, though I don't see how that's possible. No matter how much he trains, he'll never become strong enough."

"Then why does he try so hard? Never mind, I know why. His pride, right?"

"Saiyans are very proud creatures." Gure replied. "Prince Vegeta especially. But I don't think it's merely pride that drives him. What Prince Vegeta seeks is to become a Super Saiyan."

Bulma raised an eyebrow at this. She had never heard of a Super Saiyan. Briefly, and image of Vegeta wearing a Superman costume popped into her head, but she quickly dismissed it. "What's a Super Saiyan?"

"Nothing." Shamo muttered. "It's just an old saiyan legend. It's not real."

Bulma didn't quite agree with that. "I don't know, some legends are based on fact. Tell me the legend."

Shamo frowned. "I don't really remember it so well. Something about an abnormally powerful saiyan."

"I know the story." Gure chirped. "Over a thousand years ago, a saiyan warrior known as Broly was facing a powerful enemy. He had underestimated his opponent and soon found himself losing the battle. They proved to be too much for him. And when he was nearing his end, he suddenly became a golden warrior with unimaginable strength. This power could only be maintained in the transformed state, but it made him the most powerful being in the universe."

Bulma's eyes widened. "Wow, that's cool. So what happened to him?"

"He died." The alien replied simply. "His power had become so great that it spiraled beyond his control. He ended up destroying the entire planet, killing him and everyone else. Or so the legend goes."

Bulma thought about this a moment. An interesting story, but she could definitely see the holes in it. For example, if Broly had destroyed everyone, including himself, then who told the story. She asked Gure, but the alien just shook her head sadly.

"It was too long ago. No one remembers where it originated from. It's just a story that's been passed down over the years. There's no proof, hence the reason it's dismissed as a myth."

Bulma was reminded of how she believed in Santa Clause when she was a little girl. She had been foolish and naïve, just like everyone else. She'd blindly believed in a fat bearded man, who never seemed to age, that went down the chimney to leave either presents or coal for children, depending on whether they were good or bad, and managed to do this all in a single night while being transported by flying reindeer, one which had a glowing red nose. No proof had been needed, she'd merely believed.

But that had been merely for fun, and to help teach kids the difference from right and wrong. It hadn't hurt anyone, so the fact that it was just a story didn't matter.

But with this Super Saiyan story, if Vegeta truly believed in it and was wasting his life trying to do what was done in a mere story…

Maybe someone needed to convince the saiyan prince to see reality; that there was no Super Saiyan, and there was no way to beat Frieza.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The energy repelling robots that Bulma had designed where rather affective. Made of kachin, the hardest metal in the universe, made them impossible to defeat with punches and kicks, and making them able to repel energy blasts made them impossible to defeat with energy blasts. Add on the fact that the gravity meter was set at 300, it was sufficient to say that these training sessions were more along the lines of beating sessions.

Dripping with sweat, panting heavily, cuts and bruises covering his body, Vegeta dodged the attacking robots. He knew that they were programmed to stop before they killed him, but he would not let himself be beaten by machines, by mere training equipment.

The current energy blast he had fired bounced around the room, reflecting off the walls and the robots alike. While trying to avoid this blast, the saiyan prince also did his best to attack the attacking robots, only succeeding in splitting his knuckles against their hard bodies.

He'd been at it for hours, and was at his limit. But he refused to stop. The image of Frieza and his men laughing at him wouldn't leave his mind. He had to become stronger than them. He had to defeat Frieza and put an end to the shame of the saiyan race.

He cried out loudly as his energy blast finally hit him in the back. He collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. The training robots floated in the air around them, one of them unleashing its own energy blast at him. He winced at the blast and tried to get to his feet, but the enhanced gravity, not to mention his own exhaustion, brought him crashing down again.

The robots did not attack again. They merely hovered in the air around him, having been programmed to stop at this point. One was floating just above Vegeta, and the saiyan prince looked up at it, seeing his reflection in its large red eye. But it wasn't his face he was seeing looking back at him. It was Frieza's. The alien was laughing at him, mocking him. He could almost hear the tyrant's taunting voice.

" _What's wrong, monkey? Are you so weak that you can't even defeat a mere toaster? Perhaps I should employ these robots and dispose of you. You're worthless, Vegeta. You and you're entire saiyan raise are worthless."_

Vegeta's power began the spike as his anger took hold. "I am not weak. I'm not." He forced himself to stand up. "I am Vegeta, the prince of all saiyans. I will not be looked down upon. I will not take it anymore. I've had enough of you putting us down. Someday, someday, Frieza, just you wait. I'll beat you." His voice began to rise. "I'll beat you someday. You hear me, Frieza! I swear it! One day I will take you DOWN!"

His power erupted outward in a massive explosion.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Bulma ran towards the source rising cloud of smoke. She wasn't surprised to see several other saiyans there, but what she was surprised was to see her ship completely reduced to a pile of rubble. She gasped in horror upon seeing it. She knew what had happened right away. Vegeta was the only one allowed to use the gravity simulator in her ship, allowing him to train alone. So it was safe to say that he was the one who destroyed her ship. But where was he?

The saiyans were tossing aside pieces of the destroyed ship, looking for their prince. Bulma quickly went to help, much to the surprise of Gure and Shimo, who were wondering why she wanted to help her owner.

"Vegeta!" she shouted. "Where are you?"

From several feet away, scraps of metal went flying as the saiyan prince burst up from under the rubble. He was in bad shape, his body batted and beaten. Being the closet, Bulma was the first one over to him, kneeling by his side and looking at him worriedly.

"Vegeta, are you all right?"

The saiyan prince glared at her. "O-Of course I'm all right, you stupid girl! I'm not one to be beaten by mere machines!"

Bulma sighed in relief. If he had that attitude, then he must be all right. But now her worry was replaced with anger for his recklessness and destruction. "You big jerk! What's wrong with you? You destroyed my training robots and my entire ship! What if you had blown up the palace? Do you realize how many people could have gotten hurt?"

"Hey!" another saiyan snapped, placing a hand on her shoulder none too gently, "How dare you speak to your prince like that!"

Bulma shook off the saiyan's arm and glared at him. "The prince of morons, maybe!" She looked back at Vegeta. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to fix all this? And even when I do, you're just going to destroy it all again, aren't you? You're so damn reckless. Don't you realize you could have killed yourself? Just look at the state you're in."

Vegeta's vision was getting blurry, and he felt lightheaded. "I don't need a mere slave to… lecture me… on…"

His strength gave out and he collapsed. Bulma's anger evaporated to be replaced with worry once again. "Vegeta! Get up. Come on, say something." She turned to Gure and Shimo. "Quick, run to the kitchen and get me a Senzu bean."

The two aliens shared a look. "Sorry, Miss Bulma," Gure muttered, "but we're all out. The rest aren't ready yet.

Wincing in pain, the saiyan prince tried to get up. "I'm fine! I don't need those… stupid… beans…"

He collapsed again. The last thing he heard was Bulma calling his name.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

With a groan, he struggled to regain consciousness. His body ached terribly, but he was lying in a comfortable bed. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in his own bed in his room. Had he actually gone and passed out? How humiliating!

At least he didn't disgrace himself by relying on those stupid beans. He hated having to take them; he preferred to rely on his own strength. Oh wait, they were out of them anyway.

With a sigh, he shifted his head on his pillow. That's when he saw something that surprised him. Sitting in a chair by his bedside, fast asleep, was Bulma. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her presence.  _'What's she doing here?'_

Had she been ordered to tend to him? No, nobody would have her stay with him. Once it was clear that he wouldn't die, he would be left to recover on his own, relying on his own strength. That meant that she was here of her own free will. But why? Was she worried about him?

' _How preposterous!'_

He didn't need anyone to worry about him. He was the prince of all saiyans. No one was his equal.

Ignoring his aching body, he forced himself out of bed. With his private training room destroyed, he had to go to the one Bulma had designed for everyone else. He was glad to see that it was empty, though he should have expected it with it being so late. Now he could train without worrying about anyone getting in the way.

Enhancing the gravity, he picked up where he left off last time. With his body so weakened, he struggled simply to remain standing, but he refused to stop. His determination to defeat Frieza and free his people was too great.

About a half hour into his training, the ceiling suddenly opened and a TV screen came down. It turned on by itself to reveal the angry face of Bulma on screen. "What do you think you're doing?" she scolded. "You're in no condition to train! Get back to bed right now!"

"I'm fine!" he snapped back. "I can keep going."

"Training is all well and good, but there is a limit! At the very least get to a recovery pod and heal yourself."

Vegeta just kept training. "With my training chambers destroyed, that means I'm stuck with this one until it's fixed. And come morning, I won't be the only one using it and will have to adjust things to allow the others to train. I need to get what I can while they're not here."

"No, you need to rest and regain you're strength!"

The saiyan prince was beginning to lose his temper. How dare a mere slave speak to him like that! "I've recovered enou-"

His legs suddenly gave out under the intense gravity and he went crashing down. Bulma was quick to point out his lack of strength.

"See, you can't even stand up! And you think you can continue to train." She received only a grunt as a reply. "What? Nothing to say? Then stop being such an arrogant jerk and come back to bed!"

Vegeta glared at her. "Wait, I do have something to say."

The anger faded from her face to be replaced with worry. "Huh? What? Is something wrong? Are you ok?" The worry suddenly became smugness. "Or maybe you're ready to admit that I'm right and you're going to apologize. If that's the case, then lets hear it."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" the saiyan prince shouted.

A look of shock and hurt appeared on Bulma's face. Vegeta ignored it and looked away. He didn't see Bulma's bottom lip tremble and her anger resurface until it was too late.

"Fine then, you big jerk! I hope the gravity turns you into a pancake!"

The TV went off and went back up into the ceiling. Vegeta just grumbled and forced himself to get to his feet so he could resume his training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I think they're bonding. By the way, I'm sure you've realized right now that some scenes in this story are just like what happened in the anime. That's done on purpose, though the plot will still be different. Next chapter promises to be a good one.)


	9. Playing With Love, and Playing With Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things have been going well for Bulma, but how are her friends doing? Lets find out.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 9: Playing With Love, and Playing With Danger**

"Hey guys!" Bulma greeted her friends cheerfully.

"Bulma!" Shamo cried happily. "It's been awhile."

Bulma smiled at him. "Sorry, his royal annoyance insisted that I restore the gravity simulator that  _he_  destroyed. It took a while, but I finally finished." She looked around for her other friend. "Where's Gure?"

"Cleaning Prince Tarble's room." The alien replied. "She should be back soon."

There was a snicker from another slave. "Cleaning his room? Is that what they call it now?"

"Hey, be nice!" Shamo snapped at him.

Bulma raised an eyebrow, not sure if the slave had been serious or joking. It was clear that Tarble was fond of Gure, but to suggest  _that_ … it just seemed too weird. Their species just seemed too different. Could the two even reproduce?

' _Then again,'_  she thought, recalling an old Earth saying,  _'they say love is blind and knows no bounds.'_

With nothing else to do, until Vegeta destroyed some more equipment that is, Bulma helped out in the kitchen for a while, waiting for Gure to return. Some time later, the little alien came back to the kitchen with a smile on her face. It grew bigger upon seeing her friend again.

"Oh, Miss Bulma, you're here!" she chirped happily. "Sorry I wasn't here to great you."

Bulma returned the smile. "That's ok. I heard you had to clean Tarble's room. How is  _your_  prince doing?"

A slight blush appeared on Gure's cheeks. "He's fine."

The blue-haired woman stared at the alien's red cheeks. So Gure really  _did_  like Tarble. And not just like, but like liked. How interesting.

"That's good." She said with a smile. "You know, Tarble never came across as the messy type to me."

"Everything gets dirty at some point, no matter how clean the person is." Gure told her. "Floors need to be vacuumed, furniture needs to be dusted, bathrooms need to be washed."

"You sound like a house wife." She chuckled as Gure blushed again.

"Oh no, Miss Bulma! I'm just a simple slave."

Bulma cut her eyes at her. "Really? Did he call for you by name, or did you volunteer?"

"M-Miss Bulma, please, I… I have work to do!"

Bulma decided to lay off the teasing for a while as they went about their chores, talking and laughing with each other. But Bulma wasn't willing to just let this go. She was a bit of a romantic, and couldn't help sticking her nose where it didn't belong in these situations. She decided to find out what Tarble thought of Gure the next time they met.

The opportunity presented itself the next day when Tarble came to Bulma with some more training robots that had destroyed by Vegeta.

"He says he's sorry and asks if you could please fix them."

Bulma snorted at the young prince's words. She knew that Vegeta wouldn't have used the words 'please' or 'sorry' to save his life, and he most likely ordered her to fix them rather than asked.

"Sure, no problem. Care to keep me company while I work on them?"

"Uh, ok."

They moved to the small workshop that had been made for Bulma. Setting down the first robot, Bulma set to work on it.

"So, Tarble, tell me, what do you think of Gure?"

Heat flooded the saiyan prince's cheeks. "W-What do you mean?"

"What do you think of her? Do you like her?"

The young warrior shifted uncomfortably. "Well, what's not to like?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly what I meant. I guess I should ask, how do you feel about her?" She received no reply, but the blush on the saiyan's face deepened. "I'm only asking because I get the feeling that you like her. And I mean  _really_  like her. And don't bother lying; I'm very perceptive about these sort of things."

It was cute seeing the Tarble was squirming. "No, I don't like her." he said, tapping his index fingers together. "I, um, sort of l-l-l-lo-lo-ve-e her."

Bulma raised an eyebrow, not sure she heard correctly with his stuttering, though she had a general idea. "Sorry, what was that?"

He looked away, his face beet red. "I guess I sort of really l-love her."

Bulma suddenly slapped him on the back. "Way to go! I had a feeling. The way you two act around each other is a dead give away; it's just adorable. Did you tell her yet?"

Tarble turned back to her, suddenly looking terrified. "W-What? N-No way! I can't!"

"Oh, come on. You're a saiyan warrior, aren't you? Be brave."

He shook his head. "I-It's not just that. Even if I did confess I… we…" He suddenly looked very down and depressed. "Nothing could come of it. I'm a prince and she's… she's just a slave in everyone else's eyes."

Bulma sighed. "There are several stories on Earth with similar plots. But let me tell you something, Tarble, if you want something bad enough, you'll go for it. So just remember that."

A frown appeared on the saiyan's face and he suddenly looked deep in thought. Bulma smiled and decided to give him a few moments alone to think things over. "Oh shoot. I left, uh,  _that_  tool in my room. I better go get it. You stay here, I'll be back in a bit."

With a smile on her face, she left the room. So it seemed as if her suspicions were confirmed. Both Tarble and Gure liked each other. A very unusual pair indeed.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. And it wasn't until someone spoke that she realized she wasn't alone.

"Not trying to escape again, are you?"

Bulma whirled around to see the saiyan known as Raditz. She gulped, remembering her last encounter with the brute. The guy wasn't friendly. "I-I'm just walking here. And just how exactly am I supposed to escape anyway?"

"I don't know. You're the genius here, not me. For all I know, you could have some master plan of escape."

"Ridiculous! You're delusional."

The saiyan suddenly looked angry. "And you're disrespectful. Don't think I don't know about the way you treat Prince Vegeta. You've been spoiled because of you're position. I knew Kakarot hadn't disciplined you properly the last time you tried to escape. And our prince is too proud to waste his time on an insignificant nobody like you."

He moved quickly. The next thing Bulma knew, he was suddenly in front of her. Her lip spilt open as he backhanded her, and she went down. The saiyan glared down at her with distaste.

"You forget that no matter what your position is, you're still a mere slave."

Feeling dazed, Bulma struggled to get to her feet and ended up toppling right into the saiyan. Raditz continued to look down at her, now with an amused smirk on his face.

"Oh please, one light tap and you can't even stand on your own two feet."

Still dizzy, she reached out for some support, and her fingers closed around something soft and furry. There was a sudden cry from Raditz, and she looked up at him in confusion. His face was twisted with pain, his mouth hanging open in an agonized gasp.

"You… you…"

He fell over, collapsing on the ground and twitching painfully. Bulma blinked, having no idea what happened to him. "What's up with you?"

Through the pain, he struggled to speak. "My… my… t-tail. Let go of my tail!"

Her gaze shifting to her hand, she saw that what she had grabbed in an attempt to stay balanced had indeed been the saiyan's tail. Was that the reason for the unbearable pain he was now in? And she had been the cause for it?

The color drained from her face. She was in trouble now.

Putting on a very forced smile, she gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I didn't know grabbing your tail hurt you. I didn't even mean to do it."

Eyes rolling around wildly, he shouted at her. "Just let go!"

"Ok, only if you promise not to get mad. It was an accident."

"Yes, yes!" he cried. "I promise not to get mad! It was an accident! You're forgiven! Now release me!"

Praying he would remain true to his word, she let go. Faster than she could see, Raditz was suddenly on his feet, his hand wrapped around her neck, pressing her against the wall.

"You lousy wench! How dare you grab a saiyan's tail! I should snap your neck!"

Terrified, she gave him a desperate look. "I said it was an accident. You promised you wouldn't get mad."

His grip around her neck tightened. "Foolish girl! I am a first class warrior. I do what it takes to win. When you have someone at your mercy, you take advantage of it. You're just too stupid to realize it. Did you really think I would let you get away with hurting me so, you naïve scum? I hope you're ready to die." He raised his hand, a wicked grin on his face. "Keep your eye on the birdie."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

With an irritated growl, Raditz turned to his brother. "Kakarot. What do you want?"

"Well," he said, "I heard you screaming in pain, so I came to see if you needed help. But it looks like you're all right. So why don't you just let her go now."

Raditz snarled. "Not this time, brother! I'm the one who's dishing out her punishment."

Goku sighed. "Ok then, go ahead."

Bulma's eyes widened. Had Goku just said…?

"Of course, you'll have to be the one to answer to Vegeta for killing his unique personal slave."

Raditz didn't move. He just looked at his brother with a blank expression on his face.

"Remember," Goku continued, "she's not just an ordinary slave anymore. The king himself is using her. You wouldn't want to get into trouble, would you?"

Raditz seemed to be having a silent debate with himself. Would it be worth the king's wrath to get even with this girl? Saiyan warriors like him were a dime a dozen, but he couldn't deny the fact that this girl was special.

With an angry snarl, he let her go. Bulma sputtered and coughed, trying to catch her breath as Raditz stared down at her angrily.

"Unfortunately, he's right. You're very lucky, girl. But you still need to watch your attitude. Next time, I might forget just how important you are and finish what I started."

With that said, he turned around and stormed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Even with her new position, Bulma is still making enemies without even trying. But she's discovered a saiyan's weakness. Will she use that to her advantage? Wait and see.)


	10. Just A Slave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out. Not only is it long, but it… well, you'll see.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 10: Just A Slave**

Goku sighed in relief as his brother walked away. Turning to Bulma, he gave her a smile. "You ok? That was a close one."

Bulma struggled to find her voice. Unable to talk, she simply nodded.

"I sensed Raditz's distress" He continued. "So I came here thinking he was in trouble. Should have realized that he was the one causing trouble. What happened anyway?"

"I… I…" She swallowed. "I grabbed his tail."

Goku's eyes widened. "You grabbed his tail? Whoa, no wonder he was ticked."

"It was an accident!" she insisted. "I didn't even know grabbing a saiyan's tail hurt them."

Goku smiled bashfully. "Yeah, it's our weakness. Grab our tail and all our power is drained, leaving us in incredible pain. Some of us have managed to train ourselves to get rid of that weakness, but most, like my brother, haven't been able to."

Her fear finally fading, Bulma sighed and got to her feet. "It looks like I owe you one, again."

Goku just waved it off. "Oh no, don't worry about it. I know my brother's a brute. Come on, I'll walk you to… wherever you're going."

Not feeling completely safe, Bulma was quick to take him up on his offer. As they headed to her workshop, she couldn't help but voice her thoughts.

"How am I going to survive here?"

Goku just chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about it. You're doing fine. Better than most actually. Regardless of what Raditz or anyone else says, you're no mere slave."

"I just want to go home."

He frowned at that. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that. Not anymore, not with the importance of your role. You'll just have to make the best of it." He gave her a smile. "But don't worry so much. You've got friends."

"I suppose." She muttered as they entered the workshop.

"Oh, hey, Tarble." Goku greeted.

Bulma blinked. After her run in with Raditz, she had completely forgotten about the saiyan prince.

"Hey." Tarble greeted back. He couldn't help but notice that Bulma seemed distressed. "Is everything al right?"

"Oh sure!" Goku replied enthusiastically. "She just had a little run in with my brother."

"Yeah," Bulma muttered, "a little 'run in'. The guy was about to blast me with one of his monster beams!"

"Double Sunday?" Tarble asked.

Bulma gave him a confused look. "Double what?"

"It's one of his favorite attacks." Tarble explained.

Goku laughed. "Yeah, he has techniques named after the days of the week. There's Weekly Special, Shining Friday, Saturday Crush, Double Sunday, Dynamite Monday. Hmm, were there anymore?"

Bulma sighed. "All these attacks are confusing. I don't even understand how energy blasts work."

Both Goku and Tarble gave her a surprised look. "Really?" asked the former. "They're really easy."

"For you, maybe!" Bulma snapped impatiently.

"It's just using the energy in your body." Tarble told her. "All living things have energy. It's just a matter of learning how to control it properly."

"Control it properly?"

Tarble nodded. "Yeah. Here, let me see if I can explain. You know how when you hit, or punch, or kick, or whatever, you use a certain amount of force behind it."

"Yeah, so?"

"That's you're energy providing you power. Energy blasts are simply taking that energy and bringing it outside your body. There's different ways of channeling and unleashing energy, which is where different attacks come from."

"It works the same way with flying." Goku added. "You simply take your energy, and move it beneath you, and it holds you up."

Bulma blinked. "But, that means that when you fly, you're basically lifting yourself up the whole time."

Goku shrugged. "I guess. Kind of."

Bulma had a mental picture of her lifting herself up on a chin-up bar, without the bar. She didn't get it, and it made her head hurt. "I think I'll stick with science, and leave you guys with the martial arts."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

After her run in with Raditz, Bulma decided to lay low for a while. It was apparent that most saiyans were bullies, and she preferred to stay away from them. She didn't want any more trouble.

Unfortunately, trouble seemed to find her, even when she wasn't looking for any. And the next day, trouble came knocking while Vegeta was off training and Bulma was cleaning his room.

Thinking it was the saiyan prince at the door, wanting to know in advance if her cleaning was done before he entered, Bulma called out, "Come in."

Not looking up, she heard the door open, and a familiar unwelcome voice say, "Hey, Vegeta, do you…"

Halting in her cleaning, Bulma looked up to see the saiyan that had been with Raditz the first time she ran into him. The big bald one, who she believed was named Nappa.

The saiyan seemed surprised to see her, but then his surprised look became a wicked grin. "Well, look what we have here. It's little miss high and mighty."

She wasn't in the mood to deal with him. "The name's Bulma. And if you don't mind, I'm very busy right now. If you're looking for Vegeta, he's training,  _again_."

"I see." Nappa replied. "And he left you here all by yourself to clean up. Is that right?"

"Basically."

Ignoring the saiyan, she went back to her chores. But she could feel him watching her, and it was making her very uncomfortable. What did he want? Couldn't he just leave her alone?

When she couldn't stand it anymore, she gave him a questioning look. "Can I help you with something?"

Nappa grinned. "You know, you really humiliated Raditz yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, you should be dead right now. I would have killed you without a second thought."

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically, "I feel a lot better now."

The humor vanished from the saiyan's face. "You know what, I don't like your tone." He said, taking a step towards her. "You forget your place. You're far too arrogant and proud. I think it's time someone put you in your place."

Bulma didn't like the sound of that and took a step back. "W-What do you mean?"

He cracked his knuckles, walking towards her. "I think it's time you learned just where you really stand. You're nothing but a slave, a thing, an object. Something to be used and discarded. Until now you've been useful for your intelligence and hard work," he licked his lips, "but now I think it's time to put your good looks to use."

The implication was apparent. Bulma backed away, pressing herself against the wall. "Y-You stay away from me!"

"Shut up, whore!" Nappa snapped. "I'm going to show you just what you're good for."

He started towards her. Behind him was the only way in or out of the room. Would she be able to make it? It was worth a try. She knew what would happen if she stayed here.

Making a mad dash, she tried to get around him. Nappa's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

Gripping her arm painfully, he dragged her over to the bed and aggressively threw her on it. Bulma tried to get up, but he was immediately standing over her, pressing her down into the mattress.

"Hold still, you little slut. I'm going to use you long and hard."

"You can't do this!" she yelled, batting at the hand pressing her to the bed.

"Can't I?" Nappa asked. "You're nothing. Good for a quick fuck and nothing more. By the time I'm done with you, there'll be no denying what a dirty little tramp you are."

"No!" she shouted. "No, no! Help! Somebody please, help!"

He laughed, bending over her until his face was inches from her own. "No one's going to come to the rescue of a slave, especially one whose being used the way she's supposed to be." He trailed his tongue up her neck. "Mmm, you taste good."

"Barbarian!" she shouted. "Monster, brute, bastard, son of a bitch! Let me up, damn you!"

"Shut up, bitch! You're going to love this. I'll have you screaming at the top of your lungs." He grinned evilly. "But they won't be screams of pleasure."

She wasn't going to go down without a fight. But she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him. He was far too strong. He could kill her at any moment. Maybe she  _should_ provoke him into killing her. She much rather die than be raped by this monster. But unless someone came to help her, she was at his mercy.

Luckily for her, Fate seemed to be on her sighed, as at that moment, someone entered the room. For a brief moment, Bulma thought she was safe.

"Hey, what are you doing? Get off her!"

With an angry growl, the large saiyan turned to who interrupted him. "Oh, it's just you. Get out of here, I'm busy."

Tarble looked insulted. "What do you mean, 'just you'? And what do you think you're doing?"

"Showing this whore where she belongs; beneath us, in every sense of the word."

Bulma gave the saiyan prince a desperate look. "Tarble, please help me."

Her plea was unnecessary. "Let her go, Nappa." Tarble told him. "Right now."

Nappa snorted. "Yeah, right."

He returned his attention to the struggling girl, turning his back to the prince.

"Nappa, I told you to release her!" Tarble shouted.

"Piss off!" Nappa snapped. "I've wanted to bang this bitch for a long time."

Tarble looked uncertain what to do. But a determined look appeared on his face and he stood up straight, puffing out his chest. "Nappa, as Prince Tarble of the royal family, second son to King Vegeta, I hereby order you to let that woman go this very second."

Nappa froze. Slowly he turned to the young prince. He released Bulma, who quickly scurried away, fixing his angry gaze on Tarble.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" he demanded, walking towards him. "What are you going to do if I say no?"

Tarble's confidence seemed to be fading. "I-I'm the royal prince."

"And?" Nappa snapped. "What of it? What are you going to do if I don't listen? Are you going to make me? If so, then stop me now. Come on,  _prince_ , use your authority to set me straight. Make me pay for my disobedience."

Tarble unconsciously took a step back. He was one of the weakest saiyans ever. There was nothing he could do against Nappa, and the larger saiyan knew it.

Nappa grinned. "That's what I thought. Now run along and go play, your royal highness."

Tarble took another step back. He hesitated a moment… before turning and running out of the room.

Dread settled in Bulma's stomach as she was left alone with Nappa. The overgrown saiyan turned back to her with a wicked grin on his face. Bulma squeaked in fear and scurried under the bed.

Nappa laughed at her attempt to hide. "Do you really think you're safe under there?" He stalked over to the bed and got down on his knees, peering underneath. Bulma got as far away from him as possible as his grin widened. "Come out and play, little slave."

He reached for her, grabbing her ankle. Bulma was dragged kicking and screaming from under the bed. The next thing she knew, she was once again pinned on the bed with Nappa leering over her. He chuckled evilly and tore open her shirt, exposing her. Bulma screamed and fought back harder than ever, but to no avail.

"Very nice." Nappa told her, staring at her breasts. "You look good enough to eat."

He leaned down, bringing his face close to hers. Bulma shut her eyes and turned away, only to have him grab her chin and turn her face back to him.

"Nappa, just what do you think you're doing?"

Bulma's eyes snapped open. She knew that voice. Nappa did too, because he pulled away from her, glancing at the door, yet keeping her pinned down. Vegeta stood in the doorway with that irritated look on his face. But was it just Bulma's imagination, or did he seem angrier than usual?

"Oh, hey, Vegeta." Nappa greeted, as if what he was doing was no big deal. "How's the training going?"

Vegeta ignored the question. "I asked you a question. Just what do you think you're doing?"

Nappa blinked, looking as if he truly didn't understand the simple question. "What do you mean?"

"The girl!" Vegeta snapped impatiently. "What are you doing to her?"

"Huh?" He still looked confused as he glanced back at Bulma. "You mean her?"

"Of course her, you imbecile! She's the only female in the room."

"Oh, well, I was just using her. She needs to be taught her place anyway." He sneered at Bulma. "The little tramp is finally going to find out just exactly where she stands in our society."

"Release her this instant!"

Surprise flashed across Nappa's face as he looked back at the saiyan prince. "What? Why?"

"Because I said so!"

Irritation crossed the larger saiyan's face. "She's just a slave."

"She is not to be used like this. She has a specific job and purpose. That does not include satisfying your lust."

Nappa looked back at Bulma's terrified face. "She can do both. She's just property."

Bulma was about to retort, but Vegeta spoke first. "She's  _my_  property! My father gave her to me. I decide what will happen with her."

"Aw, come on, Vegeta. We're pals. Can't you share? I've been wanting to get between this whore's legs for a while."

"He said no."

The response came from Tarble, who had appeared at Vegeta's side. Nappa eyed the smaller saiyan irritably, putting two and two together.

"Oh, I get it. You had to run and get your big brother since you can't do anything on your own. You're not fit to be a saiyan, let alone a prince."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "My brother is of no matter in this. I am the one telling you to let her up. Do it now."

Fury twisted Nappa's features. He looked down at Bulma, looking as if he wanted to kill her. "No way! She's just a slave! And I'm going to treat her as one!"

He fell upon her again, fully intending to rape her right in front of them. Bulma renewed her struggles, even though she knew it was useless.

"NAPPA," Vegeta bellowed, "ARE YOU DISOBEYING A DIRECT ORDER FROM ME!"

The larger saiyan froze. The color actually drained from his face as he realized what he was doing. "O-Of course not. Sorry, I just got carried away."

He reluctantly got off her, and Bulma immediately curled up into a ball. With one last look at her, Nappa turned to leave. As he stalked past the two saiyan princes, he glared at Tarble.

"You really are a disgrace, but I guess you got what you wanted." He grinned evilly. "Guess I'll just satiate myself with a cute little kitchen slave."

With that said, he left the room. Tarble didn't even bother to think about what the larger saiyan said as he rushed to Bulma's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

Bulma didn't respond. She merely hugged herself, hiding her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was visibly shaking, and she looked paler than usual.

"I'm sorry." Tarble told her. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't stop him myself. I-"

"It's fine." Bulma told him, though she kept her eyes averted. "I was naïve. I should have expected something like this to happen eventually. After all, I'm nothing but a slave."

Tarble was about to say something, but Vegeta suddenly appeared by the bedside. Grabbing the blanket, he draped it over Bulma. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he didn't like seeing the strong and spirited woman looking so helpless.

"You'll be fine." He told her. "Rise above this. Use this experience to make yourself stronger."

Surprised by this act of kindness, Bulma looked up at the saiyan prince. "Thanks for saving me, Vegeta."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't thank me too much. It wasn't specifically for you that I saved you." At Bulma's confused look, he explained. "Nappa has very sick and twisted pleasures. Even the most ruthless of saiyans see his lustful ways as barbaric. It's the reason why he doesn't have a mate. So he satisfies his urges with the slaves. If he had his way with you, there's a very good chance you wouldn't have survived."

Bulma's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. He usually leaves his partners either dead or gravely injured. Some even seek death after having shared his bed. We can't take that chance with you. You're too valuable to us right now. I'm not going to let this chance at defeating Frieza slip by because of Nappa's perversity."

Bulma felt her heart sink. So, the only reason he'd saved her was to use her intelligence to become stronger. And for a moment she had allowed herself to believe that he had actually come to care for her. She should have known better; she was just a slave to him.

Wiping her eyes, she put on a brave face. "Well, I thank you all the same. I wouldn't have wanted to go back to my fiancé ruined."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Fiancé?"

Bulma nodded. "I mentioned him when I spoke to your father, remember?"

Actually, he didn't. He hadn't really been paying attention back then. "You might as well forget about him. You belong to me now, and that's that."

Bulma glared at him. "I belong to no one! You got that? I'm my own person! I will not be used and discarded in any way!" She turned her nose from him. "If you want some obedient servant, go rescue that cute little kitchen slave your friend is going after. I'm sure she'll be happy to serve you."

"Cute little kitchen slave?" Tarble repeated. "You mean Gure?"

A look of worry crossed Bulma's face. "Gure? Is that who Nappa is going after?"

Tarble's eyes widened fearfully. "Oh no!" He turned and ran from the room. "GURE!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Nappa kicked over a table, sending food and utensils flying. "Where is she?" he demanded.

The slaves cowered away from him. "P-Please, Master Nappa, we do not know who you speak of."

"That little alien the so-called prince is so fond of. Real short, white skin, no hair. What's her name? Gru, or something. She better come out now or I'll kill all of you."

There was a terrified squeak as the small alien stepped forward. "No, please don't! Gure is here! Please don't hurt anyone!"

Nappa turned to her. An evil grin spread across his face as he looked down at her. "Ah, there you are. Good girl."

Gure bowed to him. "How may Gure serve you, master?"

Nappa chuckled. "Oh, I'll tell you how you can serve me." His hand shot out, grabbing her and slamming her against the wall. "Your body can serve as an outlet for my frustration." He grinned wickedly. "Lets see how much the little prince likes you after I use you like the whore you are."

"NO!"

At the loud scream, Nappa turned to the voice. A moment later, a powerful kick was delivered to his head. Dropping the alien, he went flying into the wall, causing a shelf of jars to fall down and break over his head.

"Who the hell was that?" Nappa demanded angrily.

Tarble stood protectively in front of Gure, taking on a fighting stance. "Don't you dare touch Gure." He growled.

Dusting himself off, Nappa got to his feet. "You've got a lot of nerve, you little punk. Prince or not, if you start a fight, I'm going to fight back."

Tarble didn't back down. "I won't let you hurt Gure. Not her. Not her! Never!"

He charged at Nappa, surprising the larger saiyan. He slammed his head into Nappa's gut, knocking the breath out if him, then followed up with a series of punches before firing an energy blast.

Nappa went down, crashing into a table. With a groan, he looked at the young prince. The timid boy was stronger than he appeared, and he looked determine to fight, something Nappa had never seen before with him.

"So, does the little prince want to fight?" he asked, getting to his feet. "Just what do you think you're going to do against someone like me."

"So help me God," said Tarble, "if you ever come near Gure again, I won't rest until I kill you."

Nappa hesitated. Had Tarble been an ordinary saiyan, he would have simply killed him. But killing the son of the king, no matter how pathetic he was, would not be a wise thing to do. And if the little brat really did become determine to kill him, it could become a real nuisance.

Nappa humphed and spat at Tarble's feet. "You're not even worth it." He snarled, and marched out of the kitchen.

Tarble remained where he was for a few moments before collapsing to his knees. He had never been so scared in his entire life. But that fear hadn't been for himself; it had been for Gure.

"Master Tarble?" she said quietly. "Are you ok?" He surprised her by turning around and pulling her into an embrace. Gure gasped, a blush staining her cheeks as the young prince held her tightly. "P-Prince Tarble?"

"Forgive me." He said, sounding close to tears. "It's my fault he came after you. I'm so glad I got to you in time. I was so afraid, so afraid that he would hurt you."

Gure's heart was pounding in her chest. She wanted to hug him back, but her arms were pinned to her side by the prince's embrace. "Gure is ok, thanks to y-"

The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. Gure beady lack eyes were wide with shock at then feeling of his lips pressed against her own. In her surprise, she pulled away, immediately wishing she hadn't broken lip contact.

"Master Tarble! What are you doing?"

Tarble blushed darkly, looking away. "I… I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. I… I…" He turned back to her. "I love you, Gure!"

Gure's hands flew towards her mouth. Did he just say what she thought he said? "Master Tarble…"

"I do!" the saiyan insisted. "I've been in love with you for a long time!"

Gure didn't know what to say. She had known that the young prince was fond of her, but to love her? "M-Master Tarble, please, you must not say such things. You can't love Gure. Gure is a mere slave, and you are a prince."

"I don't care!" Tarble shouted. He took her hands in his. "I don't care what you are. You could be the spawn of Frieza and I'd still love you. I've always loved you, Gure. Only you."

Tears crept up in Gure's eyes. Slowly she reached forward and hugged him. "Gure is very happy. Even though Master Tarble should not feel this way, Gure is very happy that he does. Gure loves Master Tarble too. Gure has always loved him."

His arms came up around her again. The young saiyan was smiling, overjoyed that she was here in his arms, and that she returned his affection. "Hey, Gure."

"Yes, Master Tarble?"

"Don't call me things like 'master' or 'prince' anymore. Just use my name."

Gure smiled. "As you wish… Tarble."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yay, happiness for Tarble and Gure. We'll be seeing more of their relationship later. Bulma and Vegeta too, though he's masking his emotions, perhaps even from himself. And you know Nappa isn't going to just take this sitting down. Big trouble coming.)


	11. Cornered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, so we had a little Tarble/Gure last chapter. Time to get back to Bulma/Vegeta.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 11: Cornered**

It took a little while, but Bulma was a strong person. She eventually got over her near-rape experience. She hadn't seen or heard from Nappa since that day, for which she was very grateful. She hoped the brute's pride was suffering.

She had heard what had happened between him and Tarble. Apparently, Tarble had put the overgrown saiyan in his place. That must have been a serious blow to the jerk's ego after he had repeatedly put down the young prince for his lack of strength.

And something really good came of it. Tarble and Gure had admitted their feelings for each other. It was about time too. Though she wasn't sure if they were an official couple with him being a prince and her being a slave, but Bulma was happy for them. Tarble had spoken to his father and taken Gure as his own personal slave, though Bulma had a feeling that Gure would no longer be treated remotely like a slave by her new master.

"I miss working with Gure." Shamo said. "She was a lot of fun to work with."

Bulma ruffled the alien's hair. "Hey, come on, be happy for her."

Shamo looked up at her. "Oh, I am happy for her. I just miss her company."

"She does still visit, doesn't she?"

Shamo nodded. "Yes, but I still miss her. I do hope Master Tarble treats her well."

Bulma smiled. "Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that. The two of them love each other. He'll treat her like a queen."

Shamo smiled. "I'm glad. By the way, how is Prince Vegeta treating you?"

Bulma shrugged. "He's ok. He still needs an attitude adjustment though."

"He  _has_  adjusted. The prince has really mellowed down since you came into his life."

Bulma blinked. "Hmm? Really?"

She thought back to her first impression of Vegeta, then of the current one. He was less moody, and didn't get angry as fast. Sure he was still impatient and hotheaded, but he wasn't so bad.

"Yeah, I guess he is a lot better. Still, he's far from Prince Charming."

"I heard he saved you from Nappa."

Bulma scowled. "Uch, don't mention that creep's name around me. I hope he gets sent on a mission soon and never comes back."

"Now that's not nice." Bulma and Shamo turned to see Goku walking towards them. "You should never wish will ill upon others."

Bulma crossed her arms. "The creep tried to rape me. So excuse me for holding a grudge."

Goku smiled nervously. "Well, I hope you won't hold a grudge against me for this."

He held up one of the training robots. It was badly damaged and no longer functioning. Bulma sighed and took it from him. It was indeed in bad shape.

"Oh, Goku, what did you do?"

He laughed. "Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength."

"Obviously. And I suppose you want me to fix it."

"If you don't mind."

She sighed. "Well at least you ask rather than order." She looked back at Shamo. "Sorry, kid, I gotta go. Duty calls."

Shamo nodded. "Come back soon."

Bulma gave him a smile. "I will."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

It was damaged beyond repair. Well, at least some parts were. If she was going to fix this thing, she was going to need spare parts. That meant a trip to the junkyard. Grudgingly, she made her way to the place reserved for all destroyed machinery. Now she just had to go through it all until she found what she was looking for,  _if_  she found what she was looking for in this mountain of trash.

She tossed scraps of metal aside, searching for the right piece she needed to replace to make the training robot functional again. It was ridiculous. No matter how much she made these robots capable to endure, they still ended up broken.

"Just what do they do with them." She wondered out loud. "Oh here's one. Oh damn, it's cracked."

Tossing the useless piece over her shoulder, she resumed her search. Saiyans sure were unorganized. Unless it helped make them stronger or filled their stomachs, it was regarded as unimportant. Didn't they know that there was more to life than training and eating?

"Aha, this one looks like it'll fit."

Satisfied with what she had found, she began climbing down the pile of scrap metal. Humming to herself, she headed for the exit… only to be grabbed aggressively from behind. She cried out as she was slammed against the railing.

"Hello again, little lady. Looks like it's my lucky day."

Bulma knew who it was before she even looked at his face. "Let go of me, Nappa. I'm in no mood for your games."

"Games?" he repeated. "Games? You think this is a game? I was humiliated because of you."

"It's your own fault." She told him. "You were the one acting like a pig and disobeying your prince. Now let me go right now."

He slapped her with such force that Bulma felt her teeth rattle. Her hand flew to her cheek, causing her to wince at the contact.

"No one makes a fool out of me." Nappa growled. "It's time for some payback."

But Bulma didn't back down. "You can't do anything to me. I'm Vegeta's slave, remember? He gave you specific orders not to touch me."

Nappa's eyes narrowed. "And you think that'll save you? Stupid bitch. I've been watching and waiting for a chance to get you alone again. Now I can take my pleasure and my revenge on you at the same time."

Bulma would have backed away, but she was still pressed against the railing. "Y-You can't. Vegeta said you couldn't."

He grinned. "Vegeta's not here right now, is he? And hardly anyone ever comes here. Face it sweetheart, you're at my mercy."

Grabbing her roughly, he turned her around and bent her over the railing. Bulma screamed and began struggling, but it was just like last time. She was no match for his strength.

"You can't do this!" she shouted. "I'll tell Vegeta! I will!"

Nappa laughed. "Not if you're dead. I'll be sure to make sure you never talk. After I screw you in every way, in every opening of your body, I'll snap that pretty little neck of yours, then blast your body so there's no trace of you. No one will ever no what happened to you. Maybe they'll think you escaped."

"No!" she shouted. "If you kill me, there goes your chance of defeating Frieza."

"Ha, nice try. You've already done all you can for us. Your knowledge has been helpful, but it's enough. We'll get stronger on our own from here on out using what you've taught us."

He held her down, his other hand moving to her pants. Bulma cried out, thrashing around violently. The back of her head slammed into Nappa's face, earning her a grunt from the saiyan.

Rubbing his nose, he glared down at her angrily. "Miserably bitch." He raised his hand to hit her. "Keep still."

His hand came down, only to be grabbed and pulled backwards. Nappa cried out, and glanced over his shoulder. The color drained from his face as he saw who it was.

"V-V-Vegaeta."

The furious saiyan prince glared at him. "What did I tell you about touching the girl?"

Fear was evident in Nappa's eyes. "But… how did you know?"

Vegeta pulled Nappa's arm farther back. "I've mastered the ability to sense the presence of others, you fool. I sensed that she was in distress, and that you were with her. It didn't take long to figure it out."

He pulled the larger saiyan off her, keeping a firm grip on his bent arm. Bulma quickly scrambled away from the two of them. That was twice now that Nappa had tried to rape her, and twice now that Vegeta had saved her.

Dragging Nappa away, Vegeta gripped him harder. "You are aware of the consequences of what you've done, aren't you?" he asked. "This isn't just disobedience, it outright defiance."

"She's just a slave!" Nappa cried. "Come on, Vegeta!"

He bent Nappa's arm further back. "That's besides the point. You went behind my back and disobeyed a direct order. As far as I'm concerned, you've committed treason!" Gripping Nappa's arm with both hands, he began spinning him around, and then let him go, throwing him up into the sky. "And the penalty for treason is death!"

Powering up, he launched a blast of energy at Nappa. Unable to stop his momentum, Nappa could only watch as the blast came closer and closer towards him.

"Vegeta, no!" he cried in disbelief. "Over this girl? AHH!"

The blast hit and Nappa was obliterated. Smoking pieces of his armor fell from the sky, but that was all that was left of him. He had been totally blown away.

Down on the ground, Vegeta powered down. He was somewhat surprised by his actions. He knew what Nappa was like, though he had never reacted like this before. He had just been so filled with rage that he wanted Nappa gone at that very moment in the most affective way.

Looking away, he turned his attention to Bulma, she was gripping the railing tightly, here eyes wide and fearful, staring up at the place where Nappa had been.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention, "you still with me?"

Slowly she nodded. "Y-You k-k-killed him."

"Yes," Vegeta replied, as if it were no big deal.

Bulma felt numb all over. After what he had done to her, Bulma had wanted Nappa dead, but to actually see him be killed, and to actually watch Vegeta kill him, that had been too much. She had never seen death before. It was unsettling.

"Hey!" Vegeta snarled, snapping her out of her trance. "Get over it. People die all the time. You should be glad that he's gone."

Bulma gulped, struggling to find her voice. "I am glad. But you  _killed_  him. You did it to save me."

Vegeta humphed. "Don't dwell on it too much. He committed treason and had to face the consequences. It's as simple as that. The fact that you were the cause of it was irrelevant. I told him that you were mine and that I alone would decide what would becomes of you, and I meant it."

Bulma's gratitude soon shifted to anger. She was tired of being treated like a possession. She and she alone would decide what became of her. And no one, prince or otherwise, would control her life.

"Listen, pal, I'm sick of all this slave nonsense! I am my own person. I won't allow myself to be pushed around and used like a piece of furniture. I don't believe in or acknowledge slavery. It's barbaric and cruel. No one has the right to-"

Vegeta's arm shot out. His fingers wrapped around her throat and she found herself lifted off the ground and pinned against the wall. "That's where you're wrong, my dear. You see, regardless of how you feel or what you think, the fact of the matter is that you  _are_  my slave. You're life is no longer your own.  _I_  decide what will happen to you, and I can do whatever I want with you." A smirk crept up his face. "And I don't need your consent to do it either."

And he kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I bet you all hate me for leaving it at that. Now you have to wait for the next chapter to see Bulma's reaction. *Sigh* Oh Vegeta, you just can't be honest with your feelings.)


	12. Emotions Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I got my author's notes mixed up last chapter. It's not easy writing multiple stories. Well, I got it right this time. So, picking up where we left off…)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 12: Emotions Rising**

Bulma's eyes widened in shock and surprise. She couldn't believe it. Vegeta, the prince of the saiyans, and arrogant jackass, was kissing her. It was very unexpected. She'd never seen him be passionate about anything, except for training. And he was a surprisingly good kisser. True, she had always thought he was incredibly cute, but she never thought beyond that.

Vegeta broke the kiss and looked at her surprised face. His smirk grew as he found her reaction amusing. "What's wrong? Are you surprised? For someone so smart, you're incredibly naïve. Nappa may have been a pig, but he was justified in his desire for you. You are a gorgeous woman."

She blushed at the unexpected compliment. This was a side to him that she had never seen before, and she wasn't sure how to react to it. But before she could think on it further, his lips pressed against hers again, and she couldn't think any longer.

Vegeta may come off as uncaring with anything that didn't have to do with training, but that was mostly just his public image. He still had emotions like everyone else; he was just good at hiding it. He felt joy, anger, sadness, fear, loss, amusement, and even desire. And he had been desiring to kiss this woman for a long time now. He wasn't sure why he hadn't acted upon his feelings before. He was a man and had a man's needs. And she was his slave, to be used as he saw fit. If he wanted to, he could take her right here, in the same spot that Nappa had been planning on taking her.

' _So why don't I?'_  he thought to himself as he trailed kisses along her cheek and down to her neck. She wasn't fighting him. In fact, by the way she was responding, it seemed as if that's what she wanted.

"Vegeta…" she moaned as he sucked on a sensitive part of her neck.

Grinning, he looked up into her blushing face. "You should really refer to me as master."

Even in her passion filled state, Bulma still managed a retort. "I have no master."

He chuckled at her cheekiness. "But you do. You belong to me. And I never give up what's mine."

"Not yours…"

"I'll prove it."

He seized her lips again, pressing her up against the wall. Grabbing her legs, he wrapped them around his waist, hearing her gasp when she felt his arousal pressed against her. Slipping a hand under her shirt, he sought out her breasts as he attacked her neck with his lips.

Bulma was finding it hard to think straight. She was simply responding to the prince's advances. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him and truly enjoyed his touch, but something was telling her that this was wrong. She shouldn't be doing this, but she couldn't remember why.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, keeping him pressed closely to her, she looked down at him with passion filled eyes. But a sparkle on her hand drew her attention away from the prince. Glancing at her left hand, she saw that what had caught her attention was the engagement ring on her finger.

That's when things started coming back to her. She had a fiancé. That's why this wasn't right. Yamcha was waiting for her back home. They were going to be married once she had returned from her mission in space.

As Vegeta's hands explored her body, she realized that she was cheating on Yamcha. She couldn't do this. Yamcha was a sweet, though sometimes infuriating, man that she loved deeply. She wouldn't betray his love and trust for a sexy alien prince that considered her a slave.

The thought made her heart sink. That's right, she was just a slave. Nothing but a possession in his eyes. He was just using her to fulfill his needs, then he would discard her like some cheap whore. For some reason, the thought that he saw her as such a lowly creature that he felt less than nothing for hurt her more than anything else.

"Vegeta, stop…" She muttered. He ignored her, continuing his administrations to her body. "Vegeta, stop."

"Be silent." He told her, though his tone wasn't harsh or commanding.

"Please, stop it." She said louder.

"You don't mean that."

"You have to stop."

"No."

She grabbed a handful of his hair and gave it a squeeze. "I said stop!"

He did, pulling away from her and letting her fall to the ground. He rubbed his head where she pulled his hair and gave her an angry look. "What is wrong with you, woman?" he demanded angrily.

"I can't do this." She said tearfully. She held up her hand, showing him her ring. "I have a fiancé."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he looked at the ring. A wave of possessiveness came over him and he grabbed her wrist, looking at the ring in disgust. "Take it off."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Your ring, take it off. Get rid of it."

She pulled her hand away. "No! This ring is proof of our love. It's our promise to be together."

Her defiance angered him further. "I told you before to forget about the life you had before now. You are mine now, and I don't want you wearing that thing anymore. It's time to cut all ties to your past. Now, are you going to get rid of that ring, or am I going to have to do it for you?"

She held her hand protectively to her chest. "I won't give it to you."

He grabbed her arm tightly. "You have no choice. I'm ordering you to hand over that ring. Do it now, or I'll snap your finger off with it."

A shiver of fear ran through her. She didn't know if it was an empty threat or not. Would he really do something so cruel? He may not have been cruel to her, but she had seen him be cruel to others. And he didn't even view her as a person. In his mind, he would probably consider it as nothing more than changing a light bulb.

Her face fell and she looked down in defeat. "Fine then, take it. But it won't do you any good. Yamcha and I have a special connection that can't be broken by time or distance. The ring is merely a symbol of that. What we have is something more. And no matter what you do, you can't dissolve the bond between us. Not even death can stop love."

Vegeta growled angrily and released her. "Love? You stupid naïve girl. You know nothing of love. I've seen women like you before, all obsessed with romance, looking for your dream man. You're merely fooling yourself. Keep the damn ring. Hold on to your illusions of love; it doesn't change anything. You're still my slave, and you're not going anywhere."

With that, he stormed past her. As he walked away, a dissatisfied feeling settled in his gut. That had been unusual behavior for him. Why had he been so jealous of a man, light-years away, engaged to his slave?

No, it couldn't have been jealousy. He was simply angry at the woman's attitude. Her refusal to submit to her betters was infuriating. The ring, he felt, had been a symbol of what she once was, and made her determine not to lose that part of her. That's why he wanted to get rid of it.

Or so he told himself. He wasn't sure. But he was certain of one thing, he was seriously considering going to the woman's home planet to find and kill this Yamcha person.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Bulma lay in her bed that night, thinking back on the day's events. She was overcome with guilt as she remembered what had almost happened between her and the saiyan prince. The worst part of it was that she had wanted it to happen. Even as she had pleaded for him to stop, in the back of her mind, she had desperately wanted him to continue.

Glancing at her ring, she felt disappointed in herself. She had almost betrayed Yamcha, felt like she was betraying him right now with her traitorous thoughts. One of the things that really surprised her was that she had felt a little let down that Vegeta hadn't taken her by force. If he had, she could have been intimate with him while still remaining true to Yamcha; telling herself that the situation had been out of her control.

She couldn't believe she was having these thoughts, but the fact of the matter was that she wanted the saiyan prince. This was surprising to her. She was a virgin after all; she shouldn't even know what true desire was.

That didn't mean she was a stranger to bodily needs. She had urges, just like everyone else. Yamcha had gotten her heart racing and her body hot on multiple occasions, but never as much as Vegeta had. And what was startling was that he had gotten her to feel that way when just moments before she had been filled with fear and disgust. For God sake, she had nearly been raped by Nappa, and then, moments later, she had been considering making love to the saiyan prince.

No, not making love. That was too intimate. It would have been simple sex, just a rutting, nothing more. She wouldn't delude herself with the thought that Vegeta may feel anything for her other than ownership. Their relationship was strictly master and servant.

But that didn't change how she felt. So she came to the conclusion that her feelings were merely lust. That was all right. She loved Yamcha, but she lusted after Vegeta. It was a look, don't touch situation. She could have feelings of desire for the saiyan prince, but would not act upon them. She would not cheat on Yamcha, no matter how tempting it was.

Reaching up, she traced her lips, recalling the feeling of his lips on hers. How could such a grump be such a good kisser? He was even better than Yamcha. The thought of him kissing her all over her body was making her hot and bothered.

' _Don't think about him.'_  She told herself.  _'Think about Yamcha. He's such a hunk.'_

Yes, she could see him right now. Yamcha with his jet black hair, bulging muscles, and sexy battle scars. That was the type of man she was into. Not to mention she was completely into the bad boy type, and Yamcha had formerly been a bandit. Yes, a big strong bad guy with a nice attitude.

But then, quite unwillingly, her thoughts shifted to someone else who fit such a profile. Someone else with black hair, even bigger muscles, and his own sexy battle scars soon took Yamcha's place in her mind. And he was an even badder boy than Yamcha.

Damn it, this wasn't working.

With a groan, she buried her face in her pillow.  _'Good God, I have to get out of here.'_

Feeling aggravated, she pulled the covers over her head and tried to get to sleep to take her mind off Vegeta. It took a long time, but she finally able to fall asleep.

Unfortunately, not even her dreams could save her from the saiyan prince, as they picked up where the two of them had left off, this time without her telling him to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Whoa, things are really heating up between the two of them. And Vegeta is just kidding himself. He's mixing up feelings of ownership with jealousy. By the way, I'll bet a lot of you are really angry with me for having Bulma come to her senses like that. But don't worry, Vegeta will just become more pushy. You know how he loves to win. This is merely a battle of wills.)


	13. Tarble's Request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this chapter is short, but I think it came out well. So I hope you like it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 13: Tarble's Request**

Tarble had been readying himself for this for weeks. It was, by far, the hardest thing he ever had to do. Not even confessing to Gure or taking on Nappa had been this nerve-wracking. But he wasn't going to back down. He wanted this more than anything.

And so, taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the throne room to see his father and brother waiting there for him. Needing to earn as many points as possible, he bowed before his king.

"Father." He said respectfully.

King Vegeta motioned for him to rise. "You said you have something important to speak to us about, my son. Speak now. Have your say."

Tarble licked his lips nervously and stood up. "F-Father," he glance at Vegeta, "brother, I have an important announcement to make." He took a deep breath. "I, Prince Tarble, have decided to take a mate."

Vegeta's eyebrows rose in interest and the king sat up straighter. "A mate, you say."

Tarble nodded. "Yes, Father. I am ready to settle down. I love this girl very much, and she loves me too."

The king stroked his beard, regarding his son curiously. "You have already asked this woman to be your mate?"

"I have, Father, and she agreed. So we have come to ask for your blessings."

Vegeta smirked. "You should have him that before you asked her."

The king raised his hand, silencing his eldest son. "He may have gotten the order of things wrong, but I am glad that he has taken this step. Truth be told, I was worried about him. Tell me, son, who is this woman that has captured you're heart?"

Tarble gulped. "I-I have her here with me, if you wish to meet her."

"I do. Bring her in."

The youngest saiyan prince nodded and left the room. He returned with a slave that the king had seen around the palace on a few occasions, but never took notice of her.

"Well," he demanded impatiently, "where is she?"

Tarble winced. "Um, this is her. I wish to take Gure as my mate."

The king's eyes widened and he looked back at Gure in complete surprise. The little alien gave him a friendly smile and bowed. "Gure hopes you will accept her into your family."

As Vegeta tried not to laugh, the king jumped to his feet looking furious. "Tarble, what is this? Some kind of joke? You can't seriously want to be mates with that… thing!"

Tarble's expression was very serious. "But I do. I want no other besides her."

"She is a mere slave. How could you disgrace yourself like this?"

"I love her." Tarble replied simply. "We wish to be mated."

"Never!" the king bellowed, knocking his throne over. "I forbid it! Tarble, Not only are you disgracing yourself by wanting a slave as a wife, but you disgrace our royal blood by wanting it to mingle it with this lowly creature."

Tarble felt the urge to wince at his father's harsh tone, but he held his ground, unwilling to give up. "I love her, Father, and she loves me. I want her as my mate."

The king glared at his son. "No, I will not have it. Take her as your sex slave if you wish. Make her your own personal concubine, but do not shame our family by making her your mate."

Tarble's own anger began to surface. "I don't want her like that. I want to be bonded to her as true mates. I want her to have the title of my wife."

King Vegeta lost his temper. He approached his son and poked a large finger into the boy's chest. "You dare to defy me? Not only are you going against the word of your father, but of your king as well. Son or not, prince or not, that's treason!"

Looking nervous, Tarble gulped. "Y-Yes, I am. I don't care what you say. Even if it's against your wishes, Gure and I will be wed. Well run away if we have to, but we will be together."

"Not if I can help it!" Eyes burning with anger, the king turned to Gure a gathering of energy appearing in his hand. "I'll kill this wench and end this pointless discussion!"

"No!" Tarble cried.

As Gure backed away fearfully, Tarble jumped up and kicked his father in the head. The king stumbled back, more out of surprise than pain. Once he recovered, he gave his son a look of disbelief.

"Did you just-"

He was cut off by Tarble head-butting him in the chest, slamming him against the wall. The king merely grunted, once again caught off guard by his youngest son's attack.

"I won't ever let you hurt Gure!" Tarble declared.

He fired a blast of energy at his father, but the king merely held up his hand and caught the pathetic energy blast. His disbelief had been replaced by anger once again as he got to his feet.

"You insolent little brat!"

Faster than Tarble could blink, his father was in front of him, and pain exploded in his face as he was knocked to the ground.

"Tarble!" Gure shouted, running to his side.

Regardless of his pain, Tarble grabbed hold of the little alien and moved protectively in front of her, shielding her from his father. The king growled, looking at the two of them angrily.

"Get out of my sight. Both of you. I don't care what you do. Take her as your mate, your whore, your whatever. Spawn a bunch of half-breed bastards and pollute our mighty race. Just leave, I don't want to see your face right now."

Tarble's eyes widened as he realized he had, in a way, received his father's blessings, or at least gotten as close to them as he could.

Wincing in pain, he stood up. "Thank you, Father."

Gure bowed. "Yes, thank you, Father."

The king just grunted and turned away. As Tarble and Gure left, King Vegeta set his throne up again and sat down. Vegeta, who had been watching the whole thing between his father and brother with great interest gave the king a curious look.

"An interesting development. Tarble has always been the odd-man-out. To choose that slave girl as his mate, she's actually quite suitable for him. But I am curious as to why you're allowing this union; especially after being so against it less than a minute ago."

The king grunted again. "I didn't do it to make him happy, or to be nice. I did it in hopes that this will help him."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You're brother is a pathetic excuse of a saiyan. He's weak, cowardly, and he hates fighting. He truly is a disgrace… However, today he behaved more like a saiyan than he ever has before in his life. He showed me that perhaps he is not a lost cause. And it's because of that slave girl. Maybe with her by his side, he can still be a true saiyan."

Vegeta just crossed his arms and humphed. "All because of a girl?" For a brief moment, the image of a certain blue-haired woman appeared in his mind before he shook it away. "Ridiculous."

"Do not dismiss it so quickly, my son." The king replied. "Having something to protect does indeed give one strength. I remember when I first met your mother-"

"I don't want to talk about Mother!" Vegeta snapped.

Thoughts of his mother were painful. She had died long ago, shortly after Tarble was born. Frieza had killed her years ago when she spoke out against one of his orders. Vegeta hardly remembered her, but the few memories he did have fueled him with pain and anger, and made him want to go out and challenge Frieza right then and there.

The king was having similar thoughts, but he had better control over his temper. That wasn't to say that he didn't want to snap Frieza's neck for killing his wife, something he had attempted to do after the evil alien killed her, and he had been beaten within an inch of his life. Even now he harbored thoughts of slaying Frieza, but he was not fool enough to attempt it.

Glancing at his son, the king voiced something he had been considering. "You know, one day you too will have to take a mate." His eyes narrowed when his son groaned. "It is not something you can avoid,  _prince_."

"Ha!" He turned from his father, leaving the room. "Who needs a mate?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Tarble received his father's blessings, sort of. But the king does not approve of their relationship, and he wasn't just being nice. At least Tarble and Gure got what they wanted. As for Vegeta and Bulma, well, you're going to have to keep reading to see how that goes.)


	14. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm so sorry! It's not my fault there was such a long delay. Every time I tried to update I kept getting an error message. But since you're reading this, it means the problem is solved. But I tested it a few times afterwards and the error message is coming up again, damn it! Sorry for the inconvenience and hopefully this problem will be resolved quickly.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 14: Confrontation**

"I'm so happy for you!" Bulma cried, hugging Gure. "I told you everything would turn out all right."

The little alien blushed. "I'm so happy. Soon Gure will get to be Prince Tarble's wife."

Bulma shook her finger at her. "If you're going to marry him, then you should stop referring to him as 'prince'. If there's one thing I know about boys it's that they're ego is big enough."

Gure blinked. "B-But, he's royalty."

"You will be too soon."

Sadly, Gure shook her head. "No, it doesn't work that way. Even as Prince Tarble's wife, I won't be considered royal since I'm not a saiyan."

Bulma frowned. "That's not fair. What about any children you have?" She briefly wondered if Gure and Tarble could have children or if they're genetic makeup was too different.

"Technically," Gure replied, "since they'll have saiyan blood in them, they'll be considered as having noble birth, but they'll still be looked down upon. Besides, Prince Vegeta is the heir to the throne. Even if he wasn't, I don't think any of the saiyans, not even the king, would approve of Prince Tarble taking the throne since he's… not as strong as others."

Bulma rolled her eyes. It seemed that strength was everything to the saiyans. But that was just their culture, and they had been living that way for who knows how long. They weren't going to change things any time soon.

"But that's ok." Gure continued. "Prince Tarble doesn't want the throne, and Gure loves him just the way he is anyway."

Bulma sighed. "Well, I guess that's the important thing. Good for you, Gure. Although I guess that means that we slaves are going to have to work extra hard to prepare for the wedding."

"Not really. Prince Tarble and I don't want a big wedding. And Gure doesn't think the king would want to draw any attention to our marriage anyway; he doesn't approve of me."

"He's still letting you guys marry, right?"

Gure nodded. "He's very reluctant about it, but yes, he is."

"That's good." She crossed her arms, looking thoughtful. "It's too bad. I was curious to see how a saiyan marriage ceremony went. I wonder how different it is from Earth."

Gure was curious. "How do they happen on Earth?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, most weddings include a big get together of friends and family. The bride dresses all in white and the groom wears a tuxedo. The groom waits by the priest at the alter with his best man. Then the bride walks down the isle with her bridesmaids and father, and once she reaches the alter, her father gives her away. The bride and groom exchange vows and then place marriage rings on each others fingers." She pointed to her left ring finger. "This one, because it has a vein that goes directly to the heart. And then the priest declares them husband and wife."

Gure's eyes were wide and shinning. "That sounds lovely."

"Oh, but there's so much more. During the ceremony, the bride carries a bouquet of flowers that she later tosses in the air, and whoever catches it is supposedly the next one to get married. Then the bride and groom share a dance to their wedding song and later cut the cake and feed it to each other, symbolizing that they will always nurture their partner. There's a big celebration before the bride and groom retire for the night. And later they usually go on a honeymoon."

"What's a honeymoon?"

"It's normally a trip the bride and groom go on together so they can be alone."

Gure began hopping up and down. "Oh, oh, oh, the saiyans have that. Prince Tarble and Gure are going to go away to another planet for a few weeks."

"Oh, how wonderful. A honeymoon to another planet."

"Actually," said Gure, "it's a moon we're going to." She smiled bashfully. "So we're going to a moon for our honeymoon."

Bulma rolled eyes. She hated puns.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The wedding was small, and there were very few people. Aside from Goku and Gohan, no other saiyans were present. Not even the king or Vegeta. It was mostly a celebration for the slaves, though it did require them to work.

"So," Bulma asked the new bride, "how's it feel to be married?"

Gure blushed. "It's too soon to tell. It hasn't hit Gure yet. It still feels like a dream, but Gure is so happy."

Tarble rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm happy too."

Bulma studied the couple. They looked so cute yet… incompatible together. But they were happy and in love. She supposed that's all that mattered. It was like something from out of a historical romance novel, slave and master falling for each other.

Right in the middle of the feast, of which Goku, Gohan, and Tarble had eaten the most of, a saiyan that Bulma had not seen before burst into the room. He looked a lot like Goku, only his skin was darker and he had an X-shaped scar on his cheek.

Goku, with his mouth full, waved at the saiyan. "'I 'Ad, wuss uh?"

The saiyan cut his eyes at him. "Swallow and try again."

Goku did so. "I said, hi Dad, what's up?"

Bulma did a double-take. Dad? As in his father? She turned to the little alien beside her. "Hey, Shimo, that saiyan…?"

"Oh, that's Bardock, Goku's father."

That explained the similar appearance. "He doesn't look much older than him."

"That's because saiyans evolved from a warrior race. So they sustain their youthfulness so they could fight longer."

Bulma pouted.  _'Well, that's not fair.'_

"By order of the king," Bardock announced, "this party is over."

Gohan frowned. "Aww, but Grandpa."

Bardock shook his head. "I didn't give the order. I'm merely delivering the message."

Tarble sighed. "Oh well, I suppose we should be glad Father allowed us to celebrate as long as he did."

"I shall thank him for you." Bardock replied.

As he turned to leave, he saw Bulma out of the corner of his eye. He gasped and was suddenly in front of her. Bulma cried out in surprise, but he grabbed her by the chin and began to study her, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked.

He didn't answer. He just continued looking her over.

"No," he said out loud to himself, "it can't be."

He released her and left the room. Feeling uneasy, Bulma glanced at Goku and Gohan. "What was that about?"

Goku shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe he had a vision."

"Vision? What vision?"

"Grandpa Bardock is psychic." Gohan explained.

Bulma blinked. "Psychic? As in he can read minds, see the future, teleport, levitate objects, and such?"

"He can see the future." Tarble told her. "It's the main reason why he's so high-ranked. After he and his team went to conquer the planet Kanassa, he developed his power. According to legend, those that live on Kanassa develop psychic abilities. After Bardock received a head injury from one of the natives, he began seeing the future at certain times. His power has been really useful too. Though most of the time the future he see can't be altered or avoided, he has foreseen certain things that would have been disastrous, allowing us to either avoid or reduce the damage."

Bulma shivered. "That's just creepy. And he's the only one who became psychic? How many others were there?"

Tarble tapped his chin. "Um, lets see… Bardock's team consists of his sister Fasha, her mate Tora, and two others. Borgos and Shugesh I think." He looked at Goku for confirmation and received a nod. "Yeah, that's it, but it was only Bardock that developed foresight."

Bulma crossed her arms. So, this Bardock was the real thing, someone who could actually see the future. But then what had he seen in her? What role did she play in the future?

She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Bulma returned to her room late. She was surprised to see Vegeta sitting on the bed, waiting for her with a displeased look on his face.

"You're late." He told her. "Where were you?"

Bulma put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I may be a slave, but even slaves are allowed to do what they want after they finish their duties for the day."

"Perhaps I had some more I wanted you to do. Now tell me, where were you?"

"Where you should have been!" she snapped. "At your brother's wedding. The two of you may not get along, but you should still have been there for him."

Vegeta frowned. "My brother and I get along just fine. I simple didn't want to see him disgrace himself by taking that vermin as his mate."

Bulma growled. "You're such an arrogant, egotistic, bastard! I hope Frieza crushes your pride under his foot!"

Anger mixed with amusement crept up the saiyan prince's face. "You certainly have a lot of nerve to speak to your master like that." She just glared at him, making him snicker. "You know, you should show me more gratitude. I provide you with protection. Remember, you are just a slave. Nappa may have been the worst of them, but there are other saiyans that would take advantage of a lovely young slave girl wondering around at night."

She shivered in fear, remembering how she was almost brutally raped by the bald-headed saiyan.

"I may not always be able to protect you." He continued. "So you should stay close to me." Smirking, he walked over to her, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. "However, that won't protect you from me."

Bulma felt a blush heat up her face. She cursed her attraction to the saiyan prince. Sure she found him very handsome, but she could do without his bad personality. Why couldn't his attitude be more like Tarble's?

Vegeta chuckled at the blush creeping up her face. "Or perhaps you don't want to be protected from me."

She saw it coming a moment before it happened. "Don't you dar-"

Too late, he kissed her. Warmth flooded through Bulma and her legs went limp. Damn he was a good kisser. He could always make her go weak in the knees. And it absolutely infuriated her. Why couldn't she resist him? She knew she was attracted to him, but she had never planned on acting on it. She was engaged, that made all other attractive men 'look, don't touch' scenarios.

The problem was that he knew of her attraction to him, and he was taking advantage of that. With her being a slave, he could do anything he wanted with her, and she was unable to stop him.

' _The creep!'_  she thought angrily, even as she kissed him back.

Vegeta pulled away, looking into her glazed eyes in amusement. "Has your precious fiancé ever made you react that way?"

"You're a jerk." She whispered.

"Am I now? I for one think I'm being very generous. You're my slave, yet I treat you better than one. I haven't hurt you, have I?"

"No, but you're sexually harassing me."

"Really?" He threw her down on the bed and pinned her down. "If you were such a genius, you'd know that the term sexual harassment is defined as  _unwanted_  sexual advances." He traced the lines of her face with a finger. "And from your reactions, my advances are anything but unwanted."

She tried to bite his finger and he pulled it away. "That's just the body's natural reaction. Cut a person and they bleed."

He shook his head. "It's very different, my dear. You're reaction to Nappa's advances were quite different."

"He was violent."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "So, if his touch had been as gentle as mine, you'd be moaning his name simply because it's the body's natural reaction?"

Damn he was good. He was forcing her to admit her attraction to him, making her admit that she wanted him.

"I can see the conflict in your eyes." He told her. "You're not so sure of yourself anymore. No, that's not it. You already know what you want; you're just in denial. You don't want to want me."

She gulped, struggling to find her voice. "E-Even if that were true, my mind is separate from my body. No matter what my body may want, in my mind I know it's wrong. Yamcha is the one I love. I will not betray him."

The saiyan prince chuckled. It really was a lot of fun messing with her like this. "The mind and heart tend to follow the body. Eventually you'll get tired of fighting and you'll just accept the inevitable."

She knew she was about to step on thin ice, but it was all she had. "Sounds very much like your situation with Frieza."

That knocked the smirk off his face. Amusement became cold fury as he stared at her angrily. How dare she speak to him like that! The wench needed to be taught a lesson. He would see to it. At first this had been a game, but she had just gone and made it personal. He would get to her soon enough. He'd break down her defensive walls and show her that she was his.

Getting up, he turned to leave. "You're a stubborn woman, but your resolve will fail. Soon you'll willingly share my bed." He grinned at her cruelly. "And when you do, you won't even remember your fiancé's name."

Heart racing, Bulma watched as he left the room. That had been too close. For a while there, she thought that she might be raped by the saiyan. Strangely though, she hadn't been scared of that. Well, no, that's not true. She had been scared, but the fear hadn't been the same as it had been when Nappa had almost had his way with her. It was a different terror.

Perhaps she had been afraid that she wouldn't see it as rape; because, damn him to Hell, she _did_ want him. Being held down and forced was one thing; she could always tell herself that it wasn't her fault, that she hadn't wanted it, that she couldn't help it. But that wouldn't be the case here. She did want it, but like he said, she just didn't want to want it.

She growled in frustration. What was wrong with her? Why was she feeling this way? She wasn't some cheap whore. She didn't sleep around. Hell, she and Yamcha had never gone past second base, and she loved him. So why now was she having thoughts of having full-blown sex with the saiyan prince?

Ok, so she definitely lusted after him, she accepted that. But she could never and would never sleep with someone she didn't love. She loved Yamcha. She may fantasize about other men, but the only one she truly wanted to be intimate with was him.

But if that was true, why was she having to convince herself not to accept what Vegeta offered? Why did her thoughts seem to go beyond fantasy and make her actual consider them?

Did she love him? No, no she didn't. But did she have feelings for him? Perhaps. She did feel like she had a crush on him. But why? He certainly wasn't a nice guy. His attitude was tolerable at best. He was rude, arrogant, and, at times, just plain mean, even cruel. How could she have feelings for someone like that? Yes, she, like many girls, was into the 'bad boy' type, but also like many other girls, what she truly wanted to settle down with was a kind and caring person.

Ok, so she had some feelings for him. No problem, she could deal with a crush. She wouldn't let that affect her. There have been guys she liked in the past, that didn't mean she jumped on them. She once had the hots for an intern at her father's company, but he had a girlfriend. No matter how much she liked him, she didn't act because of this; it was morally wrong.

It was the same thing here. She liked Vegeta, but she loved Yamcha, Therefore she would do nothing about her feelings for the saiyan prince. He was just a passing phase. Soon enough her feelings for him will fade away and only Yamcha will once again be in her heart.

Or so she told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Bulma was really taking a risk when she brought up Frieza. But Vegeta is attempting to beat her at this game. Other than that, this was an interesting chapter. And we got to meet Bardock. But just what was it that he saw when he looked at Bulma. Stay tuned to find out.)


	15. In The Dungeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: You may have some questions by the end of this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 15: In The Dungeon**

True to his word, Vegeta had begun making advances at Bulma. Even though with his strength he could easily force himself upon her, he wanted to break her. And Bulma began to fear that he might, so she started to avoid him as much as possible. It wasn't exactly easy since she was his personal slave. The best way to counter his advances was to make him angry, something that she was very good at. Not only was it affective, but she also enjoyed it, at least until another slave commented that the two of them fight like an old married couple. That had certainly put a damper on things. But if she had to admit it, no matter how angry they got with each other, they  _did_  seem to enjoy arguing.

She tried turning to her friends for help. Shamo and the other slaves refused to get involved out of fear, and Goku and Gohan told her that they could do nothing against their prince. She wished now more than ever that Tarble were here. Though Vegeta saw his brother as a disgrace, he did have a soft spot for his sibling. Maybe Tarble would be able to get his brother to leave her alone, but he was still away on his honeymoon with Gure. Until he got back, she was on her own.

One day, after a particular nasty argument with the saiyan prince, Bulma had fled the room. As she headed to the lab that had been created for her, other saiyans glanced at her, quite a few with hostile glares. They didn't like the way she disrespected their prince, but would do nothing about it. They all knew what had happened to Nappa for going after the prince's property. No matter how much they despised her, they would not raise a hand against her.

One saiyan in particular stared at her with extra hostility. It was Raditz. He blamed her for the death of his best friend. As far as he was concerned, it was completely her fault that Nappa was dead. He wanted to return the favor, but knew that despite how much she and Vegeta argued, the saiyan prince considered her very valuable for her knowledge. If he raised a hand against her, he would no doubt suffer for it. If only there was a way to dispose of her without doing it himself, but no one else wanted to suffer the prince's wrath either.

That's when the idea came to him. An evil grin crept his face as he began to formulate a plan. If all went well, the little wench would get exactly what she deserved and he wouldn't need to lift a finger.

Moving quickly, he went and retrieved the paperwork he needed. Chuckling at his genius, he went to find the blue-haired slave, confident that she would be dead before sundown.

"Hey, you, slave!" he called to her.

She turned to him, looking frustrated. "My name is Bulma."

"Whatever." He mumbled. He handed her a clipboard with several pieces of paper attached. "Vegeta wants you to clean these rooms."

She looked at the clipboard. "But I don't do cleaning work."

"Vegeta's orders." He grumbled, pushing the clipboard to her chest. "You must have really pissed him off."

Bulma groaned, but took the clipboard without complaint. Raditz grinned as she walked away. Soon she would get what she deserved.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

According to the paper, she was heading the right way, but from the looks of it, she was in a dungeon. But that couldn't be; why would she be sent to clean the dungeon? She must be mistaken. Just because it was a long hall with doors on either side that required security codes didn't mean she was in the dungeon. Maybe they were offices.

' _Offices without windows?'_  she questioned herself.  _'Certainly feels like a prison.'_

Glancing at the paper, she saw a list of room numbers with the security codes written down. She was supposed to clean all of these? Oh well, at least she didn't have to do all fifty-something of them; only four needed to be cleaned.

Entering the security code to the first room, she went inside. There were no lights. How the hell was she supposed to see what to clean?

' _Good old capsules.'_  She thought.

Tossing one of the miniature devices on the ground, it popped open to reveal a light generator, illuminating the room. Bulma's mouth dropped open. It  _was_  a dungeon. The room was, she guessed, about forty feet long and wide and twenty feet high. It consisted of only a metal bed sticking out of the wall and a toilet, nothing else.

"Just what the hell am I supposed to clean?" she wondered out loud irritably.

The room didn't even look like it had been used. Were new prisoners coming and the place was supposed to be prepared or something? That was weird since the saiyans didn't seem like the type to care about the comfort of prisoners.

Sighing, Bulma set to work with whatever she could think of. She scrubbed the floor, dusted the walls, placed a blanket and pillow on the metal bed, and did anything else she could think of to make the room more presentably.

The process repeated with the second room, being the same as the first. With two rooms down, she entered the third room. She reached into her pocket to retrieve the light generator capsule when the door suddenly shut behind her. She jumped at the sudden sound, now left in complete darkness.

Why had the door closed? And how was she supposed to get out of here? The door could only be opened on the outside. Would she be stuck in here until the new prisoner came or until whoever fed the current prisoners came through.

Something that sounded like a cross between a growl and a moan echoed through the room, making the hairs on Bulma's neck stand on end. Good god, had she entered the wrong room; one that was occupied?

Blinking, her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She could make out a figure of some kind in the room with her, but it was still too dark to see clearly. With trembling hands, she opened the capsule and turned on the generator. Light filled the room and Bulma got a good look at the room's occupant.

It belonged to what she guessed was a man, a man about ten feet tall. He was horribly deformed, his greenish-brownish skin having looked like it had liquefied and then solidified to his body again, making him look like he had melted. Four holes were in his chest, revealing his glowing beating heart inside. His eyes were large and red, missing the eyelids, seeming to just sit in his sockets. His golden hair seemed to be growing both above and beneath his skin, as if when his skin had liquefied it had covered most of his hair and solidified over it again.

Finding her voice, Bulma screamed. The creature cried out as well and lunged at her. He was so big that Bulma was fortunate enough to be able to duck under and crawl between his legs. Something furry hit her in the face. She saw a moment later that it was a tail, one that resembled a saiyan tail. But that wasn't possible. This creature couldn't possibly be a saiyan.

Whirling around, the creature cried out and lifted his fist. His movements were slow, as if the movement took a lot of energy. She narrowly missed being crushed and ran to the door, pounding on it with her fists, screaming.

"Let me out! Please, someone help me!"

Who was she kidding? No one was coming. And the only people who even knew she was here expected her to be here.

Hearing the creature groan, Bulma turned to face it, pressing herself against the wall. The creature was reaching for her, but it couldn't. She realized a moment later that it had chains around its wrists, ankles, and neck. It was chained to the wall, preventing her from grabbing her. For a moment, Bulma felt relieved. For now she was safe. But she was still trapped with this thing.

The creature seemed to become frustrated that it couldn't reach her. It gave up and instead held its hand up. Energy began to gather there, much to Bulma's horror. It was going to blast her!

But she was saved again. The gathering energy was sucked away, absorbed into the cuffs on the creature's wrists. The creature roared angrily and opened its mouth, trying again. The result was the same, this time the cuff around its neck absorbing the energy.

So the cuffs also absorbed the creature's energy. That must be why its movements were so hindered, because it was constantly being drained of power to prevent it from breaking free.

"Thank goodness for that." She whispered.

But the creature improvised. Unable to get to her, it made her come to him. He brought his balled fists together and slammed them on the ground. The ground shook and Bulma lost her balance and fell over. The creature's large hand grabbed hold of her and threw her across the room. She cried out as she slammed into the wall, collapsing to the ground. The creature now stood over her, quite able to reach her. It looked ready to kill, and Bulma was powerless to stop it.

The creature was suddenly distracted by the sound of the door opening. "So I was right." Came a familiar voice. "Stupid woman, what are you doing here?"

The creature roared loudly, but was suddenly knocked off its feet by a powerful kick to the head. The next thing Bulma knew, she was being dragged out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, Vegeta turned to her angrily.

"You fool, what were you thinking going in there?" he demanded.

Bulma's heart was still racing. With trembling hands, she reached for the fallen clipboard and checked the room numbers. Looking up at the number on the door, she saw that it was indeed marked down for cleaning.

"Well?" Vegeta snarled. "Answer me!"

Fear melted away to anger. And it was directed at the saiyan prince. He may have saved her life, but he had given the order to have her come down and clean in the first place.

"YOU JERK!" she shouted, throwing the clipboard at him as hard as possible. The look of surprise on his face would have been funny if she hadn't been so furious. "Next time you send someone to clean a room, make sure you write down the right room!"

Vegeta blinked. His momentary surprise gave way to anger once again. "What nonsense are you babbling? What does cleaning have to do with entering a prison cell? Were you trying to free the prisoners in order to escape?"

"Idiot!" she shouted. "I'm not stupid to do something like that! You were the one that sent me down here!"

"I did no such thing! How dare you place blame on me!"

Bulma picked up the clipboard and held it out to him. "I was told that you wanted me to come down here and clean these rooms, and that one was on the list."

Vegeta snatched the clipboard out of her hands and looked it over. "I never ordered this. Why would we care about the comfort of prisoners? And I would never be stupid enough to give out security codes to a slave."

Bulma shrugged. "Hey, all I know is that I was told that you ordered me to come down here and clean those rooms."

He glanced at her. "I gave no such order. You're not a cleaning slave. This isn't your duty. Who told you this?"

"Raditz." She replied. "But why would he lie like that?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "I know why."

Grabbing her wrist, he proceeded to drag her along. Bulma didn't fight him, knowing it was useless. She let him lead her along until they came to the cafeteria. He released her and looked around the room. Once he spotted his target, he stormed over to him.

"Raditz!"

The saiyan turned to him, looking surprised. He immediately stood up as the prince approached.

"Prince Vegeta, what can I do for-"

Vegeta's fist hit his chest, breaking his armor. Raditz stumbled backwards, his face twisted in pain. He fell right on the table, spilling food and drinks everywhere.

Ribs broken, mumbling in pain, he looked up at the prince. "P-Prince Veg-eta… w-why did… you…?"

Vegeta grabbed a handful of Raditz's long spike hair and pulled him up so he was eye level. "What gives you the right to send  _my_  slave to the dungeons to be killed? She is  _my_  property! I alone command her! And how dare you lie and say that the order came from me!"

Wincing in pain, the injured saiyan tried to speak. "S-She deserves… to d-die… B-B-But you or-ordered… that no one… was to… to h-hurt her…"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "So you decided to get the job done without dirtying your own hands. You know her skills have aided us greatly in our training and other advances. Why have her killed?"

"S-She got… Nappa killed…"

So that was it. Vegeta knew that Raditz and Nappa were good friends, had been since childhood. He wanted revenge for Nappa's death.

"Know this," Vegeta told him, "Nappa was killed for treason. The fact that he attempted to force himself upon my slave is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that he disobeyed a direct order after I specifically told him on more than one occasion that he was not to touch her. He went behind my back and disobeyed me. To me, that's treason, and that is why I killed him. And unless you want to meet his fate, you will heed my warning to leave her be. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes… Prince Vegeta…"

Vegeta turned to the rest of the saiyans. "Is it?" He received nods and mumbled replies. With one last look of disgust at Raditz, he released him. "Someone take him to a healing chamber."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: In case you were wondering, the creature in the prison cell was Bio-Broly. How and why he was there will be explained in the next chapter, as will how Vegeta found out she was there.)


	16. Submissive Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Just to let you know, Vegeta may seem a bit out of character in this chapter, but that is an act he's putting on, so just keep that in mind.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 16: Submissive Seduction**

After having made his threat clear to Raditz and the others, Vegeta then proceeded to drag Bulma back to the room. She silently let him drag her along, not saying anything. She was still stunned by what he had did. Ok, so Raditz was an ass that tried to kill her and she could care less about the guy, but did everything with the saiyans have to end with violence?

"H-Hey…" she muttered, "not that I'm not grateful for having you defend me, but don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

He looked at her over his shoulder. "He's lucky to be alive. Giving a false command in my name in inexcusable. I assume he never meant to be discovered."

Which made Bulma curious about something. "How'd you even know I was down there?"

"I was looking for you earlier. When I couldn't find you, I reached out and sensed your presence in the dungeon with  _him_."

"Yeah, what was that thing anyway? I didn't think saiyans kept prisoners."

"We usually don't. Only on rare occasions. That  _thing_  you saw was one of the rare occasions. And to answer your question, it's a saiyan."

Bulma's eyes widened. "What? It is? I mean, I saw the tail, but was that thing really a saiyan?"

"Not a normal one. It's a bio-warrior. A direct descendant of the legendary Super Saiyan, Broly. Our scientists were attempting to create another Super Saiyan. Before that thing was born, many experiments were done on its mother throughout her pregnancy stage. As a result, the child was born as that monstrous beast. It wasn't a Super Saiyan, but it was very powerful. Unfortunately it was also completely insane and had an insatiable desire to kill and destroy. We had no choice but to imprison it and keep it a secret from Frieza and his men."

Bulma felt disgusted. Running experiments on a pregnant mother and her unborn child? Were these saiyans heartless? "I'm surprised you didn't just kill it."

"He was kept alive out of respect for his power, but he must be kept prisoner for his entire life."

A dreadful feeling crept up Bulma. "You're not still doing these experiments, are you?"

Vegeta shook his head. "That was the only one to ever survive. All others have been stillborn. But after him, the experiments stopped and we tried to find a natural way to become Super Saiyans. We saiyans may not be highly intelligent, but we are undeniably powerful. It was foolish for us to go against our nature." He glanced at Bulma and smirked. "But with you here, perhaps we'll renew the experiments."

"NEVER!" Bulma shouted. "You'll have to kill me! I won't experiment on pregnant women and unborn children!"

Vegeta just chuckled. "Relax. If there's going to be another Super Saiyan, then it's going to be me. I just have to figure out how it's done."

Bulma humphed. "Why don't I just build a time machine so you can go back and ask Broly personally."

Vegeta's grin widened. "An excellent suggestion. Do that."

"I WAS JOKING! How do you expect me to build a time machine?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you can't do it? Well then, I guess I'll have to find another use for you."

Picking her up, he carried her over his shoulder into his room. Once inside, he threw her on the bed. Frustrated, she glared at him. "What's your deal?"

He chuckled. "You're not that foolish, are you? I brought you here to my room and placed you on my bed. Surely you can figure it out."

She turned red. "Forget it, buddy. I'm hanging on to my virginity."

Vegeta's eyes lit up. "A virgin, you say? I didn't know you were still a virgin. That just makes you even more desirable. I think you've been a virgin long enough. It's time to make you a woman."

Bulma's hands found the closet solid object and she chucked it at the saiyan prince. "No, no, no, no, no way!" she cried, throwing whatever was within reach. "I am not going to have sex with you, pervert! You stay away from me!"

He easily swatted away everything she threw at him. "You're taking this far too seriously."

"I will not let you take liberties with me!" When she ran out of things to throw, she tossed the pillow at him and even bunched up the blanket and threw that too. "You have no right!"

"You're my slave, I have every right."

Out of things to throw, she pulled off her shoes and threw them at him as well. "Like hell you do! I'm no slave! I'm just lost on an alien planet! I'm not a prisoner of war to enslave or an object to be bought and sold! My body is mine to do what I want with!"

He chuckled. "Then why are you complaining? Isn't this what you really want?"

The creep! "No! I hate, hate, hate you!"

Reaching into her pockets, she grabbed her capsules, pressed the opening button, and threw them as well. Vegeta's eyes widened as the capsules burst open into large object that he actually had to avoid being hit by. That was it, playtime was over.

Moving at rapid speed, he had her pinned to the bed. Bulma's eyes widened at the sudden speed. She struggled to get up, but he held her down. She batted at him with her hands, but he just pinned her them above her.

"You're certainly a little vixen." He told her. "I bet you'll be very good."

"Bastard, let go of me!" Breaking his grip was impossible. "I won't let you take advantage of-"

He kissed her, cutting of her complaint. Bulma continued to struggle, refusing to return the kiss, even as his tongue forced its way into her mouth. She responded by biting him.

Pulling away, the saiyan prince wiped his mouth, glaring down at her. But she didn't stop there. Her knee came up, slamming into his groin. Vegeta's eyes widened in shock and pain and he gasped out loud. This allowed Bulma to roll out from underneath him and make a run for the door. She made it halfway to the door before she felt a tug on her hair. She cried out as she was dragged back inside and thrown on the bed again.

"You've done it now." he snarled, tearing his shirt off. "I was going to be gentle, but I'm not holding back anymore."

Holding her down, he grabbed her chin, and forced her to face him before kissing her again. Her struggling continued, but he refused to break contact, being careful not to let her bite him again.

Bulma pounded at his back with her fists, her blows becoming weaker and weaker as heat pooled in her belly from the saiyan prince's advances. Seeming to sense her resolve crumbling, he grabbed her hands, interlocking his fingers with hers, and pinned her arms to the bed again. His lips moved against hers, demanding her to respond. She wasn't kissing him back, but she stopped clenching her lips together, simply letting the kiss happened.

Time seemed to melt away. Bulma felt her body becoming hot and bothered. She wanted him to stop, but she also  _didn't_  want him to stop. She hated herself for it, but damn him to Hell, she did want this. At least her body did. Her mind was still fixed on… on… what was his name again? It was becoming hard to think.

Suddenly she became aware of the fact that their tongues were intertwined. When had he forced his way into her mouth, and why the hell hadn't she noticed before now? More importantly, why was she kissing him back?

A moan escaped her and she felt him smirk against her lips. He finally broke the kiss, allowing her to take a much needed breath of air. Vegeta grinned down at her, finding it amusing how she still tried to resist what she was feeling.

"Have you finally decided to give up?"

That seemed to snap her out of her dazed state and she attempted to knee him in the groin again. But the saiyan prince had anticipated this and refused to let her do that again.

"That's really not very nice." He told her. "How would you like it if I did that to you?"

He pressed his knee in between her legs and Bulma gasped loudly. He certainly knew how to please a woman, the creep.

"Play time is over, my dear. I'll have you screaming my name by the end of the night."

His hand moved to her shirt, tearing it open. She winced at the ripping sound, blushing furiously. "I don't… want this…"

"Liar." He muttered. "You may know a lot about science, but I know a lot about women."

She glared at him. "I thought you only knew about fighting."

He chuckled. "Well, this thing between us is sort of a battle. And I say you're enjoying the fight just as much as I am." His grin widened. "Even in giving in, you could still win this fight. Though it is unlikely since you don't have experience in battle."

Her blush deepened as she understood what he was implying. "I can't…"

His hand traveled up her stomach, running over her smooth skin. "Why do you resist?"

"Because it's wrong!" she shouted. "I admit that I do find you attractive, and… and…" she looked away, "and it d-does feel g-g-good. B-But, I'm still engaged."

Her resolve was weakening further. "Engaged, but not yet married. Engagements can be cancelled. You're relationship with that earthling is over. You know it, no matter how much you tell yourself otherwise. Deep down you know that you can never escape. You just don't want to admit it. Just like you don't want to admit that you desire me." His touch became less seductive and more gentle. "But I will make you acknowledge your desires. By the time we are through, you won't be able to deny that you belong to me."

This didn't sound like the arrogant saiyan prince she knew. He was cheating somehow; the big stupid jerk!

"But I don't want to acknowledge any of that." she whispered. "I don't want to give up what I have with, uh… um… Yamcha! That's his name! I don't want to give up what I have with Yamcha."

He studied her for a moment. "Is that a fact?" He ran his finger over her lips, noting how they seemed to open a little more when he did so. "I think it's your freedom you really don't want to give up, and that boy you claim to hold so dear is merely an anchor to hold onto that desire for freedom." He smirked at the look on her face. "Yes, that's it, isn't it? You fiancé is your main excuse for wanting to escape. If you give in to me, you will no longer have that to convince yourself to escape. You're just afraid to admit the truth."

No, that couldn't be. He was lying, putting words in her mouth, making her doubt her resolve and what she was feeling. She tried to think of someway to deny his claim, but nothing came to mind. "You… you… bastard."

He laughed at her comeback. That was it; he had won. She was out of excuses. He forced her to recognize her true desires, no matter how much she wanted deny it. Now all he had to do was reel her in and claim his prize.

"Don't worry, my little human. You are my slave. I will take care of you. All your troubles, all your fears, all your doubts, I will burn them away."

He kissed her again. Tears crept up in her eyes and she clenched her lips together tightly. But it only lasted for a moment before she began kissing him back with all the pent up lust she had felt.

' _All too easy.'_  The saiyan prince thought with a smirk.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Vegeta watched her as she slept. That was strange; he'd never felt the need to watch over anyone before. Having been intimate with her shouldn't have made a difference; he'd taken many women to bed.

What did it matter? She was just a simple slave. One more valuable than the others, but a slave all the same. So why was he feeling so protective? Perhaps he was simply protecting his investment to beat Frieza.

At least, that's what he'd like to think. But after sensing her in the dungeon with that experiment gone wrong, he'd panicked. It had been for a brief moment, but he had never panicked before. Vegeta, prince of the saiyans did  _not_ panic over anything, not even at nearly losing the chance at finally becoming a Super Saiyan and defeating Frieza.

It was strange, when she first came here, he had disregarded her completely. He saw her as something no different than a piece of furniture, if he even noticed her that much. After she had become his personal slave, she had become an annoying nuisance. Yes, her ability to invent was highly profitable, but she was still a pain in the ass, always arguing with him.

Had she been any other slave, he would have killed or beaten her for her defiance, but he couldn't do that to her unless he wanted to lose her skills. She wouldn't be of much use if she were crippled. So he had decided that putting up with her attitude would have to be a sacrifice for him to get stronger. The gravity room and training robots she had created were very helpful, and who knew what else she could make.

As strange as it was, their arguments had become almost like a game, to the point where they both seemed to  _like_  to argue with each other, seeing if they could best each other in a fight. No one else dared to challenge him like that. Maybe that's why he found her defiance intriguing. He  _did_  love a challenge, and she certainly challenged him.

So it really had become sort of like a game between them. Whether they realized it or not was another story. But they seemed to enjoy teasing each other. Vegeta had found it particularly fun when he had realized that she was attracted to him, and he was quick to use that to his advantage. This recent act he had put on seemed to have finally done the trick.

Now the game seemed to have come to an end. But the result was not what he expected. Yes, he had gotten what he wanted, but he also seemed to have gotten more than he bargained for. Now he was confused as to what he was feeling. This was very unlike him. The seduction had been a game, one he felt he had played perfectly, but for a while he seemed to have gotten a little too caught up in the game. While he had been intimate with her, all thoughts of the game had vanished. Thinking back on it, he had treated her more like a lover than a sex slave. So it seemed he saw her as more than just a slave.

Ok, so he had become fond of her. He'd become fond of things before. That didn't mean he cared, at least not about her personally. But then would he get angry whenever he caught her looking at that ring on her finger.

He growled. That stupid ring. That was what seemed to be her strongest anchor to the past. She needed to let go of her old life and accept that this was her future. She was his, and he would not give up what belonged to him. He never gave up anything that was his.

Reaching down, he grabbed her wrist. Carefully, so he wouldn't wake her, he removed the engagement ring from her finger. He studied it, seeing no value in it's worth, regardless of the seemingly expensive diamond on it. What was so special about this little piece of metal? It must be an earthling thing. But from what he understood from what she told him, it symbolized that she belonged to another, her fiancé, this Yamcha. And that angered him.

Taking the ring, he walked over to the window and opened it. He easily squashed the ring between his thumb and index finger so it could never be worn again. Then he threw it out the window. It went up and up, straight through the planet's atmosphere and disappearing into the darkness of space.

The next morning. Bulma didn't even realize her ring was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Looks like Vegeta won their little game, but it seems he got more than he bargained for. Stay tuned to find out how their relationship evolves from here.)


	17. Armageddon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Happy Easter everyone. With the change in the relationship between Bulma and Vegeta, the story is also going to change a bit and focus on the main plot. I had to get Bulma, shall we say, comfortable with her new life before moving on to this point.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 17: Armageddon**

Another planet was under his control. Frieza grinned in satisfaction. It was good to be the lord of the universe. It wouldn't be long before the entire galaxy bowed down to him. Soon everyone would know his greatness. And once this galaxy was conquered, he'd move onto the next.

His ultimate goal was to rule the whole universe. If only it wasn't so eternally big. No one would be able to gain control of the whole universe in their life. Even with his race's long lifespan, he'd only be able to gain control of a small portion of the known universe. It was just a shame he couldn't live forever.

But he was content with what he had in life. He was the ruler of all, the most powerful being in the universe. The only one who stood a chance against him was his idiot older brother. Putting it mildly, the two of them didn't get along. One day he would kill his sibling and take control of all he had. Then he alone would gain his father's inheritance when the time came.

"Lord Frieza."

Frieza frowned at the interruption of his happy thoughts. If this wasn't something important, he'd kill the incompetent fool. "Yes, what is it?"

"My lord, we've discovered something on the newly conquered planet that requires you immediate attention."

"My immediate attention you say? And what, pray tell, would be so important that I have to take time out of my busy schedule to go to another planet?"

"It… cannot be explained in words, sire. But it will be worth your while. I guarantee it."

Frieza frowned. "Do you now? Well, you better be right about that. Because if I go to this planet and find that it was not worth my time… I'm going to kill you."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Tarble and Gure would be returning in a couple days. Bulma was glad for it. She missed her friends. And she was eager to help them begin their new life together. She hoped Vegeta would let her.

A blush stained her cheeks as she thought of the saiyan prince. Nothing had happened since their first night together. He hadn't treated her any differently, nor had he spoken of it. It angered her a bit. How could someone be intimate with another person and not behave differently?

' _Oh, Yamcha, I'm so sorry.'_

She glanced at her ring finger. It had been two days before she realized that it was gone. She'd looked all over the place, trying to find it, but there was no trace of it anywhere. And she couldn't recall the last time she'd had it in the first place. But what really got to her was that it had taken her so long to realize it was missing.

' _What does that mean?'_  she wondered.  _'Is it a sign that Yamcha and I aren't meant…?'_

She couldn't finish the thought. Right now she had mixed feelings. Especially for the saiyan prince. She definitely felt something for him; she just wasn't sure how far those feelings stretched. She decided that she would need to do some serious soul searching to figure it out.

But she didn't have much time to herself to sort out her feelings. Two days before Tarble and Gure were meant to return, Vegeta burst into her room and demanded that she start packing for him.

"What's up?" she asked. "Why the sudden rush to leave?"

He grumbled irritably. "My brother's in trouble. He just contacted us. Apparently, someone is trying to kill him."

Bulma's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

He shrugged. "We didn't get the details. He was cut off in the middle of his distress call. All we know is that his ship was destroyed and he's stranded with someone after him. Now I have to go and get him."

Bulma frowned. Who would want to kill Tarble? The guy was harmless. Was it a political assassination or something? Tarble was a prince after all.

Vegeta glanced at Bulma as she pondered this. He grew impatient with her lack of obedience. "Why are you just standing there? Did I not just say to pack my things? We're leaving in twenty minutes."

Bulma flinched under his harsh tone. "Y-Yes, right away. Sorry, I was lost in… hang on. You said 'we're'. As in 'we are'? As in me too?"

"Obviously."

"Why me? I'm not a warrior. Why do I have to go?"

Vegeta didn't even give her the courtesy to look at her. "Because you're my slave and I said so."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

As the saiyan prince departed, another ship approached planet Vegeta. Coming from a different direction and arriving four hours after Bulma and Vegeta left, the occupants of the ship did not realize the saiyan prince and his slave had gone.

On the saiyan planet, the inhabitants had no idea that this ship was approaching since it always gave warning in the past. But one saiyan, with his unique gift, did realize the ship was approaching, and he was fully aware of what was about to happen.

Trembling, the spoon fell from Bardock's hand as his vision ended. Blinking, he looked around the cafeteria at his people, all completely unaware of the danger at hand.

Noticing his friend's unusual behavior, Tora nudged him. "Hey, Bardock, you ok?"

The saiyan psychic shook his head. No, this couldn't be possible. Why? For what reason? Was it really a vision, or was he simply daydreaming? No, he knew the difference between a daydream and one of his visions.

Then he remembered back to what the alien that had given him his powers had told him. He was giving him psychic powers so he would know the upcoming doom of him and his people. The alien had known, and he had given him the power to see so that he would know as well, and be unable to prevent the foreseen disaster.

' _Like hell I will!'_  he thought.

"Bardock?" Tora tried again. "What's wrong?"

Bardock tried to find his voice. "I-It's… Frieza… Frieza's coming…"

Tora's eyes widened. "What? Another surprise visit?"

Bardock shook his head. "N-No… he's coming to… kill us…"

Tora jumped to his feet, slamming his hands on the table. "Kill us?" he roared, getting the attention of everyone else in the room. "Why? What have we done?"

He didn't know, he couldn't see the why, only the what. "I have no idea, but he's going to destroy the entire planet."

Fasha looked back and forth between her mate and her brother. "Wait, what's going on?"

Bardock turned to her angrily. "I just told you! Frieza is coming to kill us!"

That sparked the interest of a few eavesdropping saiyans. "Wait, you mean to kill  _you_ , right?" one asked.

"No!" Bardock roared. "Us! All of us!"

"Yeah right." Another saiyan scoffed. "You're delusional."

"I've seen it!"

"Sure you have. And I'm going to be the next Super Saiyan."

This earned a laugh from the other saiyans. Only Tora and Fasha didn't seem to find this funny.

"Hey," the latter snapped, "don't insult my brother! You know of his abilities!"

"Yeah," the saiyan muttered, "sounds like his psychic abilities finally rotted his brain. Does it run in the family?"

Fasha took a step towards the saiyan, but Tora placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her, shaking his head. "What do we do?" he asked his leader.

Bardock looked up at the sky. "You guys go warn the king. I'm going to see if I can top him, or at least slow him down."

"Good luck with that." Said the mocking saiyan. "Hope you can take a punch from your delusions."

More laughter from the other saiyans. Bardock turned to him, desperation in his eyes. "YOU FOOLS! YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

This statement was met by stunned silence. Bardock didn't take the time to try and convince them further. He took off, heading outside. He would not let this vision come to pass. He'd stopped his visions before; he would do it now.

' _Frieza, I'm coming for you, you murderous self-serving traitor! It's over!'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Floating just above the planet's atmosphere, the evil overlord looked at the planet before him. It would be of no real loss to him. He'd always hated the saiyans. And, truth be told, there had always been that small bit of fear in the back of his mind that the legend was real; that one day a Super Saiyan would rise up and defeat him. As ridiculous as that sounded, the fear had been there.

Yes, this was for the best. He would eliminate the problem at its roots. He should have done this a long time ago. Soon the universe would be pest free from the monkeys.

"My lord!"

Frieza turned to the person that interrupted his thoughts. "What is it, Zarbon?"

There was a slight look of concern on the green-haired man's face. "A saiyan is approaching the ship in a rage. We've sent men to apprehend him, but he's breaking through our defenses. It's that saiyan that can see the future, Bardock."

A scowl crossed Frieza's face. So, the psychic monkey knew, and he was coming to stop him. "It's me he wants."

His face twisted with fury. How dare that miserable saiyan monkey attack him! Him! He was Frieza, the lord of the universe! Did this miserable insect really think he could defy him? If it hadn't been his intent to wipe out all saiyans in the first place, he would have seen this Bardock killed personally.

He watched as Bardock flew through a wall of his men, coming ever closer to the ship. Several guards were hanging onto him, trying to hold him back, but the siayan pushed onward.

"Frieza!" he roared. "Come out and face me!"

The evil overlord decided to give the saiyan what he wanted. The hatch opened and he came out, his red eyes fixed on his prey.

The men holding Bardock back released him. They could sense the fury radiating off their master, and it terrified them.

"Long live Lord Frieza!" one of them shouted.

Several others repeated this, but not Bardock. He was looking at Frieza with righteous anger. "No way, Frieza. You've lived long enough. Actually, it's been too long for my taste."

The fool. He had no idea that he was already dead. Gathering his energy into a single finger, Frieza created a small ball of energy, no bigger than a marble.

"Frieza, listen up," Bardock cried, "we quit! All of us! Got it? We don't work for you anymore! We're free! You can find someone else to do your dirty work! I just wish we weren't foolish enough to listen to you in the first place!" He began to gather his own energy, getting ready to attack. "Oh yeah, there is one last thing. This is for all the people we've killed in your name. Here, have it!"

He fired a blast of energy at his oppressor. As it came, a sadistic smile crept up Frieza's face as the small ball of energy at the tip of his finger began to expand to a massive size. Laughing sadistically, he directed it towards the defiant saiyan, and his planet.

The blast of energy that Bardock had thrown at Frieza struck the alien's supernova and was absorbed into it. Bardock's expression was one of disbelief as his own attack was added to what would be the destruction of his race. "No way!"

There were cries of horror and desperate please from Frieza's men as the massive gathering of energy came at them. It consumed all in its path, obliterating all of them. Continuing onward, it crashed into the planet and exploded. The planet erupted in a massive explosion, ending all life on it, and providing Frieza with a light show that he took great delight in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Planet Vegeta has been destroyed. As of now, Vegeta and Tarble are the only remaining saiyans. An all out war is going to break out soon between Vegeta and Frieza. By the way, I remember reading on some website that Fasha was actually Bardock's sister and Tora's mate, so I decided to go with that. Just thought I'd mention it.)


	18. Rescue Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I apologize for the long wait. Final exams and projects took up all my time. Glad that's out of the way. Now here's the new chapter. I'm sure you'll all be pleasantly surprised.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 18: Rescue Mission**

"According to the computer, we should arrive in half a day." Bulma observed. "I hope Tarble and Gure will be ok until then."

Vegeta humphed. "If they can't stay alive until then, they don't deserve to live."

Bulma cut her eyes at him. "Nice, real nice. You saiyans are really cold; you know that? Show some compassion."

"Compassion gets you killed!" Vegeta snapped irritably. "The only way to get by in this universe is to be ruthless. That's what makes you strong."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "So says the  _servant_  of Frieza."

Vegeta didn't take the bait. "One day I will destroy Frieza, then I will be the strongest in the universe."

"And you think that'll solve all your problems?" Bulma demanded. "Unless you change, and I don't mean physically, you'll never be happy. I can see it, Vegeta, you're miserable. Even if you do become the strongest person in the universe, who cares?" She fearlessly stood face-to-face with him. "Let me tell you something, on my planet, and many others that I've been to, not one of us could even compete with your strength; not even with Tarble's. But you know what, we were happy. We lived full lives and enjoyed ourselves. You saiyans are cold-hearted, ruthless, and power hungry. You claim to be the greatest warriors in the universe, and you're still miserable. There's more to life than being the best."

Vegeta's hand shot out, grabbing her shirt and lifting her in the air. "Don't talk about things you don't understand."

Then he dropped her, letting her fall to the ground, and walked away. Bulma glared at his retreating form, wondering just what the hell went through a saiyan's head.

"Ass hole." She muttered.

Putting the saiyan prince out of her mind for now, she went to unpack their luggage. Thanks to her capsules, she managed to fit everything into a single handbag. One by one, she took out and opened each capsule. Upon opening the fifth one, she received a surprise. Instead of luggage, a boy popped out of the small device.

"That was weird." He said.

Bulma yelped, jumping back in surprise. "G-Gohan? What are you doing here?"

The young saiyan dusted himself off. "Well, I've always wanted to go to another planet, and this seemed like a good chance."

"So you became a stowaway? Why didn't you just ask for an assignment? The saiyans send even their newborns to conquer planets; I'm sure they would have let you."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed, "but my mom is so overprotective of me that she refuses to let me leave. So I snuck away."

Bulma sighed. Great, now she was stuck babysitting. Not to mention she would have to deal with an angry saiyan mother upon returning. Maybe she would get lucky and return Gohan to Goku instead. But until then, it looked like she was stuck with him. Not that she minded all that much. She loved kids, and she adored Gohan, but Vegeta would no doubt be frustrated with their uninvited guest.

She was right.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Tarble and Gure ducked behind a rock. They may be safe from his eyes, but as long as their foe had his scouter, he would find them.

"Do you see him?" Gure asked.

Tarble shook his head. "No, I think we're safe for now. For how long, I can't say. Hopefully Father will have sent help and they'll be arriving soon."

Gure gave him a worried look. "Do you think they even got the message?"

That's what Tarble was mostly concerned about. The ship had been heavily damaged, the controls hardly responding. They had made contact, but there was so much static and interference, that it was impossible to say if anything got through.

"I'm sorry." He told her. "If only I wasn't such a coward and a weakling, then I'd be able to protect you better."

"No!" Gure cried. "Gure loves you just as you are. Gure doesn't want you to change at all."

Tarble gave her a smile and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, Gure. You're the best."

"Now isn't that sweet."

The two broke apart and looked up, seeing a purple alien in saiyan uniform looking down at them with his arms crossed.

"Cui…" Tarble muttered. "Why are you doing this?"

The alien, Cui, just kept smiling. "I'm merely an exterminator ridding the universe of vermin. I should feel insulted for having been assigned such a lowly task, but I'll let it go since I'm enjoying it so much."

He pointed at them and a ray of energy shot out of his finger. Grabbing Gure, Tarble rolled them out of the way and fired his own blast of energy. Cui merely held up his hand and the blast bounced right off him.

"Pathetic." He said. "You're so damn weak I don't even see the reason to kill you. Then again, if you don't get rid of all the pests, then they multiply."

He was suddenly in front of the saiyan, viciously backhanding him. Gure cried out her husband's name, and was immediately kicked by Cui.

"Be quiet, you slave slut. I'll deal with you momentarily." He bent down and picked Tarble up by his hair. "You've wasted enough of my time. I've spent days chasing you over this pathetic mud-ball of a planet. It's time to end this."

"NO!" Gure wailed, grabbing hold of Cui's leg.

He glanced down at her and easily shook her off. To prevent her from interfering further, he pressed his foot down on her back, pinning her to the ground, then turned back to Tarble, raising his hand.

"Die!" But he was distracted yet again, this time by a signal on his scouter. "What's this? Someone with a high power level is approaching the planet."

Tarble's eyes peeked open. "Vegeta…"

Cui looked at him. "What? Vegeta? Why would he be coming here?" But then a smile broke out on his face. "Ah, I see. So you managed to call for help before your communications failed." He chuckled. "Well, no matter. In fact this is a good thing. I always wanted to be the one to defeat Vegeta. Looks like it's my lucky day."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Ok," said Bulma, checking over the data of the planet they were on. "Air is breathable. Gravity is average. Temperature is…"

She trailed off as Vegeta simply opened the ships door. "Lets go."

Bulma jumped back. "Are you crazy? You can't go out there without analyzing the planet! What if the air is made of rat poison?"

He gave her a bored look. "Tarble and Gure have been living on this planet for a few weeks now and they're fine. I think it's ok for us."

Bulma pouted. "That's not the point…"

"Besides," said Gohan, "this is a moon, not a planet."

Bulma bopped him on the head. "Don't get smart with me."

Vegeta ignored them. He was trying to sense his brother's energy. Ah, there it was, about two miles away. So he was still alive, as was his mate. But who was that third person? Their energy was familiar. It felt like…

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Well, well, how interesting. I didn't expect him to be here."

Without a second glance at the other two, he took off, letting Gohan deal with Bulma. It didn't take him long to find his target. It seemed like he wanted to be found. Well, that suited Vegeta just fine. It saved him the hassle of having to track him down.

"So it is you, Cui. I thought I smelled your foul stench when I arrived on this planet."

Cui chuckled. "You're one to talk about hygiene, saiyan scum. Monkeys are one of the filthiest creatures."

Vegeta frowned. "I didn't come here to exchange insults, Cui. Where's my brother?"

Smiling, Cui lifted a large boulder to reveal Tarble and Gure behind it, both bound and gagged. "I didn't want them to miss the show. So I gave them front row seats to the death of the prince of saiyans." Something caught his attention. "I see you brought friends."

Gohan arrived carrying Bulma, who was none too happy about being left behind. "Hey, what's the big idea with leaving us alone like that? What if some big scary alien monster attacked us."

Vegeta paid them no mind. "They're of no concern of yours." He told the purple alien. "Your fight is with me."

Cui's grin widened. "So it finally comes to this. The two of us have always been fierce rivals, always equal in power. It's time to find out which of us is better."

Vegeta openly laughed at this. "Us? Equal in power? Oh, Cui, you're truly deluded if you think we're equal in power."

"I suppose you're right. I shouldn't overestimate you. This will hardly be a workout for me."

"What a creep." Bulma muttered. "This guy's really asking for it."

For once, Vegeta found amusement in Cui's insult. "Before you put yourself on a higher pedestal than me, you should know that I've learned how to suppress my true power. Why don't you check you're scouter again and see what you're really up against?"

Cui rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll humor you. Let's see the power of the saiyan prince."

The situation was almost comedic. The confident smirk on Cui's face slowly decreased as the reading went up. It very quickly became a frown, and then complete shock and terror. The reading was still going up when the scouter short-circuited and exploded on his face.

Vegeta was grinning broadly. "Something wrong, Cui? You look nervous."

Cui began backing away. "L-Lets not be too hasty, Vegeta. This… This whole thing can be easily explained."

"Really?" Vegeta was now walking towards him. "Well it's a shame that I'm not interested in the reason."

Cui backed away until he hit a wall. Vegeta kept coming until he was right in front of him. "This wasn't my idea! I was just following Lord Frieza's orders!"

Vegeta stopped. "What?"

Cui struck, firing a blast of energy directly into the saiyans's face. He laughed loudly, thinking he'd won. "Ha, that's what you get, monkey!"

From out of the cloud of smoke, Vegeta's hand shot out and grabbed Cui's wrist. The purple alien cried as his wrist was squeezed with bone-crushing force.

Vegeta watched him with a serious expression on his face. "You say Frieza ordered the attack on my brother?"

Looking terrified, Cui nodded. "Yes! He sent me to kill him!"

Vegeta squeezed tighter. "Why? For what purpose? The only thing that would do is increase hostility between him and the saiyans."

"There are no more saiyans!" Cui confessed.

Shocked, Vegeta let him go. Cui pulled away, rubbing his wrist and breathing heavily.

Feeling that it was safe, for now, Bulma stepped forward. "What do you mean, there are no more saiyans?"

Cui glared at her. "Just what I said. Lord Frieza has had enough of your race. He decided to kill them off. He recently destroyed the entire planet. I was meant to be the cleanup crew and get rid of the young prince and his mate." His gaze shifted to Vegeta. "I never expected to run into him."

Tears crept up in Gohan's eyes. "No… no… it can't be… Mommy… Daddy…"

Vegeta's hand closed around Cui's neck, lifting him off the ground. "Why? Tell me why? We've always served Frieza loyally. Why would he kill us?"

"Don't know!" Cui chocked out. "After visiting one of the planets that was recently conquered, he decided to wipe you all out. According to the rumor, he learned something very important on the planet and decided not to take a chance with the saiyans finding out. He didn't trust you since you were always so rebellious."

"Damn it!" Vegeta snarled, throwing Cui against the wall. He held up his hand, gathering energy. "Kiss yourself goodbye!"

Cui held up his hands. "Wait! Don't you want to know what Frieza discovered? Don't' you want to know why your race died?"

"I could care less!"

"Eternal life!" Cui shouted. "Lord Frieza has discovered a way to obtain immortality!"

His words did the trick. Vegeta lowered his hand, looking at Cui with renewed interest. "What do you mean?"

Cui breathed a sigh of relief. "Just what I said. Lord Frieza found a way to become immortal."

"Immortal?" Bulma repeated. "Ha, don't make me laugh. That's just ridiculous. No one can become immortal."

Cui was smiling now. "It's true. In fact, my lord is already well on the way of achieving his goal."

"How?" Vegeta demanded. "Tell me how he plans to do this?"

Cui hesitated a moment. "If I tell you, will you let me live?"

"I'll kill you if you don't tell me!"

He hesitated again before speaking. "Very well. According to what my lord has learned, there's a planet somewhere in this galaxy called Namek. It's inhabited by a race of mysterious beings with unique powers. On this planet, there are mystical object called Dragon Balls. Should someone collect all seven, they'll be able to summon the eternal dragon and have their wish granted. Frieza intends to ask for immortality so he may take his proper place as the eternal ruler of this universe."

Bulma cut her eyes. "Please, that's just ridiculous. It sounds like a child's bedtime story. We have a similar story on Earth. Rub the magic lamp and a genie will appear to grant you three wishes."

Cui chuckled. "Child's story or not, all stories have some origin. I'm sure Lord Frieza will find something interesting on Namek."

Vegeta's fists clenched. If Frieza obtained immortality, it would be all over. There'd truly be no stopping him. No matter how powerful he became, even if he became a Super Saiyan, Frieza would be unbeatable.

Grinning, Cui began sneaking away. "I see you have a lot to think about. I think I'll just leave you with your thoughts."

Vegeta glared at him. "You think I'd let you just run back to Frieza and tell him of my survival when he so conveniently thinks I'm dead?" He raised his hand, taking aim. "Not a chance."

Cui froze. "Wait, you said you would spare me if I told you."

"I said no such thing! You were dead the moment our paths crossed."

"Hold it!" the purple alien cried desperately. "You're going after Frieza, aren't you? You're going to need all the help you can get. I could be of help."

"I don't need your help. You saw my power. Soon I'll be able to rival Frieza."

A small smile crept up Cui's face. "You don't know, do you? Do you really think you're a match for Frieza? You have no idea what he's truly capable of. If you think he's strong now, just wait until he transforms."

That had Vegeta's attention. "Transforms?"

Cui breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, transforms. The Frieza that you know is not his true form. Once he unleashes his true power, he becomes a god, no a titan! If you want to defeat him, you need my assistance. What do you say?"

Vegeta's response was to end the alien's miserable life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Lots of stuff happened. I've thrown the Dragon Balls and planet Namek into the story, but it'll still be different from the series, though it will have some similarities. On a happier note, Gohan is still alive, having snuck on board the ship, and Vegeta managed to save Tarble and Gure. Now the time has come to face Frieza. But first they have to get to him and stop him from gaining immortality.)


	19. Namek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I thought that once I graduated college that things would get easier, but I'm busier than ever. Still had time to write his though.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 19: Namek**

"So that's planet Namek?" Tarble asked.

Bulma checked the computer. "Looks like it."

Vegeta humphed. "A big green planet populated by big green toads."

"Vegeta, be nice." Bulma scolded him.

"As long as I get those Dragon Balls, I don't care."

Gohan, with angry tears in his eyes, glared at the planet. "I just care about taking out Frieza."

Smirking, Vegeta roughly ruffled Gohan's hair and then pushed him away. "And just what do you think you're going to do when you see him?"

Gohan rubbed his head. "Avenge Mom and Dad."

The saiyan prince chuckled. "Oh wow, look at you being all brave."

"Leave him alone."

"As if you're much better." Vegeta snapped at his brother. "The one who will defeat Frieza will be me."

"Yeah, whatever," Bulma remarked, going through her bag, "but first you're going to need to get the Dragon Balls before he does. If Frieza gets them all and becomes immortal, then we're all doomed. Fortunately, I've been working on something that will help us find them. Ah ha, here it is." She pulled a strange device from her bag. "I call this baby the dragon radar. It's not done yet, but once I finish it, we'll be able to use it to locate the Dragon Balls."

"Really?" Gohan asked, looking at the small circular device.

"Yup. Of course, first we'll need to get our hands on one of them so I can program the radar to know what to detect, but after that, we can find them all."

"If Frieza hasn't found them all already." Gure muttered.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

After confirming that the planet was breathable, something that Bulma insisted upon doing, they exited the ship. Vegeta was the first to get off. He took a quick look around a scoffed at how plain the planet was.

"What's so special about this planet?" he muttered. "It wouldn't be worth much on the market."

"I don't think it's the planet." Tarble replied, exiting the ship. "I think it's the people. I have heard that the Namekians are a unique race with special powers."

The elder saiyan prince humphed. "I could care less. Now then, where is Frieza?"

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the mighty alien's presence. He picked it up immediately. It was so huge it couldn't possibly be missed. And from what he felt, Zarbon and Dodoria were there to along with several more of Frieza's men.

"They're not far." He noted, then turned to his companions. "Since I'm stuck with you, you better make sure to do whatever I say." He glanced at Bulma. "But you stay here. You'll only get in the way."

Bulma stamped her foot. "Oh no! You are not leaving me here all alone."

"This is not up for debate! You," he pointed at Gure, "stay here with her. The rest of you follow me, and be sure to mask your power."

Both Gohan and Tarble nodded. Gure ran forward and embraced her husband, pleading with him to be careful. Then they were off, leaving the two women behind.

They flew towards the spot where Frieza and his men were, and discovered that the evil alien and his minions were in a village. They made sure to keep their power levels hidden and remained out of sight, watching the scene below.

"Are those the Namekians?" Gohan asked, motioning to the strange green humanoid aliens.

"Obviously." Vegeta remarked. "Frieza is obviously trying to get them to tell him where the Dragon Balls are."

"Will they talk?" Gohan asked worriedly.

"Frieza is very good at getting people to tell him what he wants." Vegeta told him. "Knowing him, he'll threaten the children."

He was right, as a moment later, one of his men kicked one of the smaller Namekians. The elder Namekian attempted to get to the child. But was blocked by Freiza's men. Frieza exchanged a few words with the Namek elder, and soon the green alien went inside and came back out with a large gold ball with two bright red stars in the middle.

"Hey, you see that?" Gohan pointed out. "Is that a Dragon Ball?"

"Must be." Tarble replied. "Look, both Zarbon and Dodoria have two more like it."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "So he's got five now. That woman's radar better work. All we have to do is get our hands on one to make sure Frieza can't fulfill his wish, then wait for the opportune moment to steal the others."

"Perhaps this is our chance." Gohan said. "Look."

He pointed in the distance. More Namekians were coming, these younger and stranger than the elders that were in the village. They touched down in front of the intruders, looking ready to do battle.

"Looks like they're going to fight." Said Tarble.

"Idiots." Vegeta muttered. "They'll be massacred. They may be strong enough to fight against some of Frieza's men, but against Frieza himself, or Zarbon and Dodoria, they don't stand a chance."

Gohan glanced at the saiyan prince. "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean? We're not doing anything. Those fools are already dead. There's nothing they or anyone else can do."

But something unexpected happened. The elder Namek suddenly attacked. But he didn't go after anyone. Instead, he hit the scouters, destroying them, and Frieza's only way to locate the residents on the planet.

"He got the scouters!" Tarble cheered quietly. "Way to go, old guy."

Vegeta just humphed. "He just bought himself a painful death. But it's an advantage to us."

As punishment for his actions, Dodoria attacked the old Namekian. The younger Nameks attacked, but they too were quickly dispatched.

Gohan's fists clenched together angrily. "This isn't right. We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Vegeta grabbed him by the hair. "You will do as I say! Our race may be wiped out, but I'm still your prince, and you will listen to me."

The cry of a child brought their attention back to the scene below. Dodoria had now turned to the children, ready to kill them as well. One was already struck down, and it looked like the other was about to join him.

"We have to help him!" Gohan cried.

"Stay down, fool!" Vegeta snapped, keeping a tight grip on the boy's hair.

"Let go!"

Gohan kicked upward, his foot catching Vegeta in the chin. Breaking free, he flew down to the village below. Dodoria's fist was coming down to bash the young Namekian's head in, but Gohan snatched the child away and took off.

"What the hell?" Dodoria cried. "Who was that?"

Frieza glanced at him. "Don't stand around asking question. After them!"

Nodding, Dodoria took off after Gohan. On the ground, Vegeta was nursing his sore jaw while Tarble watched Gohan fly away.

"Hold up!" he cried, and took off after him.

"Don' fy, ou 'diot!" Vegeta shouted, his speech messed up from biting on his tongue.

But it was too late, he was spotted by Frieza and the others. Frieza immediately recognized the young prince, his angry frown turning into a scowl. "Zarbon, is that who I think it is?"

"It looks like Prince Tarble." the green-haired man said. "Cui must have failed to kill him. I guess that explains why he hasn't reported in."

"Well?" Frieza asked. "Don't you think you should go after him?"

Zarbon immediately dropped the Dragon Balls and took off. He flew right over Vegeta's head, not even seeing the saiyan prince. Vegeta growled and started running after the others, not wanting to be seen by Frieza.

Up ahead, Dodoria out-flew Gohan, flying in front of him to block his path. Tarble came up behind Gohan, followed quickly by Zarbon, the two saiyans and little Namekian now trapped between the two.

"Looks like Cui didn't do his job." Said Dodoria, noticing Tarble. "And it seems another monkey managed to escape."

"Maybe he went with the prince on his honeymoon as a servant." Zarbon wondered out loud. "What I'm curious about is how even with the two of them working together they managed to defeat Cui?"

Dodoria studied Gohan. "Hey, wait a minute. Ain't this Kakarot's kid?"

Zarbon shrugged. "All those monkey's look alike. They're all just pests."

"And we're the exterminators." Said Dodoria, cracking his knuckles. "It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it."

"True. Monkeys really are filthy creatures."

"You speak of filthy creatures when you hang out with the likes of Frieza. You're such a hypocrite, Zarbon."

The two turned around to see Vegeta, who had now taken to the air now that he was out of Frieza's line of vision.

"You?" Dodoria growled. "How the hell are you here?"

Vegeta smirked. "Lets just say I decided to see how my brother's honeymoon was going." He nodded at Gohan. "The kid was just along for the ride."

"So," said Zarbon, "three little monkeys being a pain in the head."

Dodoria chuckled. "I think it's time we made them dead."

"Your humor is very poor." Vegeta told him. "As is your ability to judge your opponent. Other than making puns of nursery rhymes, you should be fleeing for your lives."

Zarbon laughed. "You think we're afraid of you?"

Vegeta smirked. "Frieza certainly was. That's why he wiped out my people."

"Correction. What Frieza was simply  _concerned_  about was an entire race of uncivilized, barbaric, savages turning against him. You think he fears one lone ape?" He glanced at Gohan and Tarble. "And those two are hardly worth swatting at."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Enough of your games. A lot has changed since we last met. I'm not the same as I was back then. It's time to pay you back for all the pain and torment you've put us through."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Just so you know, what Vegeta said after he bit his tongue was "Don't fly, you idiot". The plot is going to be similar to the series for a little while, featuring Vegeta instead of Goku, but will then become more original again.)


	20. An Ugly Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I think this is my first official fight scene for this fic. Yeah, guys have exchanged a few blows in previous chapters, but this is the first real battle.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 20: An Ugly Battle**

"He's mine!" Dodoria hollered, flying towards Vegeta. He threw a punch, but the saiyan prince vanished. "Huh? What the?"

"Dodoria, above you!" Zarbon cried.

The spiky pink alien looked up just in time to see Vegeta come flying down, slamming his elbow into his face. He crashed into the ground, his hands over his bloody nose.

"What the hell was that?" he muttered.

Vegeta appeared standing over him. "That, my dear friend, was just the tip of the iceberg."

Dodoria snorted, getting to his feet. "Yeah right. You get in one good hit and you think you've won."

"If you had one of your precious scouters, you'd think so too."

Dodoria growled. "Oh yeah, well take this!"

He threw a punch, which Vegeta easily caught, much to the pink alien's surprise.

"How nice." Vegeta taunted. "A knuckle sandwich. But I'm not hungry right now. See if Zarbon wants it."

He spun around, pulling Dodoria with him, and threw him at the green-haired alien. Zarbon glanced down at his partner with a raised eyebrow as Dodoria slid across the ground towards him.

"Having trouble with the little prince?"

Rubbing his arm, and giving Zarbon a dirty look, Dodoria stood up again. "Shut up. He just caught me off guard."

"Really?" Vegeta asked. "I thought it was your pathetic punch I caught."

Dodoria whirled around to face him. "Catch this!"

He fired a series of energy blasts at the saiyan prince. Vegeta dodged and swatted them away, slowly approaching his opponent, before suddenly appearing right in front of him.

"Peek-a-boo."

Dodoria's eyes widened at Vegeta's speed, but he recovered quickly and unleashed a powerful energy blast.

"Ha, ha, got him." He glanced at his partner. "What'd you think of that, Zarbon? Reduced to monkey dust."

Looking bored, Zarbon pointed up. Dodoria looked up to see Vegeta alive and well. "But how'd he move so fast?"

Vegeta laughed. "Fool. I've been training harder than ever. And thanks to that woman, her training methods have made me stronger than ever. I've been pushed to the brink of death numerous times, coming back even stronger than before."

Dodoria growled. "You're so annoying!"

He threw a ball of energy up at him. Vegeta easily swatted it away, only to see Dodoria coming towards him. The two broke out into an open-air battle, exchanging powerful blows, while several feet away, Gohan, Tarble, and the Namekian child watched fearfully.

"You can do it, Vegeta!" Tarble cheered. "Come on."

Vegeta didn't even bother to glance at him. "What are you still doing here, imbecile? Get going, now!"

Tarble and Gohan winced at his angry command, but decided to do as he said. But they hadn't gone more than a few feet before Zarbon appeared to block their path.

"Not so fast, little monkeys. You and your pet toad aren't going anywhere."

Even while engaged in battle with Dodoria, Vegeta had seen and heard Zarbon.  _'Must I do everything myself?'_

He delivered a powerful punch to Dodoria's jaw, then quickly took a moment to fire a blast of energy at Zarbon. The green-haired alien saw it coming and avoided it, allowing Gohan and Tarble to slip by.

"Oh no you don't." he grunted, going after them.

He caught up quickly, knocking Tarble out of the air. Then he delivered a powerful blow to Gohan. As the two saiyans and the Namek went crashing to the ground, Zarbon glanced back at the battle between Dodoria and Vegeta.

"Hey, hurry it up, will you? We don't want to keep Lord Frieza waiting."

"I'm trying," Dodoria grumbled, "but this monkey's very fast."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "That's the last time you'll call me a monkey."

He attacked with a powerful uppercut, knocking Dodoria back, then slammed both feet into his large gut, sending him crashing to the ground.

Sputtering, Dodoria rolled onto his side, holding his gut. "Damn you, Vegeta. I'll make you pay for this."

Vegeta landed behind him. "I don't think you'll be able to do anything while remaining on your hands and knees. Are you bowing in defeat?"

Dodoria's temper snapped. He whirled around, lunging for the saiyan prince. "You!"

Vegeta jumped up and delivered a powerful kick. Dodoria's head turned completely around with a sick snapping noise. He remained standing for a few moments, his head backwards, before collapsing.

Vegeta spat on his corpse. "So much for that tub of lard." He looked up at Zarbon. "I guess it's your turn."

Zarbon should have been intimidated after seeing how easily Dodria was defeated, but he was eerily calm. He floated down to join Vegeta on the ground, a small frown on his face.

"You really have improved." He acknowledged. "The last time we met, you were no match for Dodoria, but now you beat him like he was nothing."

Vegeta snickered. "Almost as easily as you took out my brother and his friend."

"Almost." Zarbon agreed. "But tell me, 'that woman' you mentioned, would she by any chance be that rude blue-haired slave." Seeing Vegeta's smirk was answer enough. "I figured as much. If she could make a monkey become this strong, then I wonder what she could for Lord Frieza and myself. He's sure to have a good time torturing the information out of her."

Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "Perhaps she was on Planet Vegeta when Frieza blew it up. And if she wasn't, what makes you think I'll let you get anywhere near her? You may be stronger than Dodoria, but I wonder if you'll be more of a challenge."

Zarbon nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, it's true that you could very well be stronger than me now. And when I say that, I mean by the way I am now."

The smirk left Vegeta's face. "What are you talking about?"

Zarbon laughed. "You saiyans aren't the only beings in this universe capable of transforming to become stronger. I can as well. But I don't need the full moon. Behold."

Vegeta sensed an enormous increase in Zarbon's energy. And the sight before him wasn't so pretty either. Zarbon grew nearly twice as big, his muscles now bulging out. His skin had become scaly, and his face elongated to resemble a reptile, complete with fangs.

"What the hell?" Vegeta muttered.

Zarbon laughed, his voice now much deeper. "It's repulsive, I know. But it's the last thing you'll see before you die."

He charged. Vegeta was still caught off guard from Zarbon's transformation from pretty boy to hideous creature that he forgot to defend himself. Zarbon's large knee slammed into his gut, sending him flying backwards.

Zarbon flew into Vegeta's path and fired a blast of energy. Vegeta cried out and went down. Before he could recover, Zarbon brought his elbow slamming down on Vegeta's back, earning him another cry of pain from the saiyan.

Snickering, Zarbon kicked him onto his back and sat down on him, holding down Vegeta's arms with his knees. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Vegeta's head snapped left and right from the repeating onslaught of punches. Zarbon laughed, having the time of his life as he delivered blow after powerful blow.

"Come on. Is this really all the great Vegeta has to offer? Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered transforming."

His fun was suddenly cut short by a weak energy blast hitting him from behind. Looking back, he saw Gohan on his feet, having been the one to fire the blast.

Zarbon growled irritably. "Annoying pest."

He opened his mouth and fired a blast of energy. Gohan cried out as he was blown off his feet.

With a smirk, Zarbon approached the boy. Gohan remained on the ground, twitching in pain, barely conscious. Zarbon glared at him before stomping down on Gohan, causing the young saiyan to spit up a mouthful of blood.

Then he turned to Tarble, who was still laying face down on the ground. He grabbed the saiyan's hair and lifted him up to check. When Tarble moaned in pain, Zarbon slammed his head into the ground for good measure. Then he stood back to look at his handiwork.

"Three monkeys down." He noted. Then he frowned. "But where'd that little toad get to?"

He flew up in the sky and looked around, but the young Namekian was nowhere to be seen. Zarbon wished he had a scouter with him. The kid could be anywhere; hiding somewhere, or maybe he flew away while he was distracted with Vegeta.

"So he got away." he grumbled. Looking down at the three unconscious saiyans, he shrugged. "Oh well, those three were a bigger prize." He grinned. "But just as a precaution."

He held up his hand and created a ball of energy. Throwing it at the ground, he created a massive explosion, reducing everything to dust.

"That takes care of that." he told himself, changing back to his humanoid form. "Maybe I even got lucky and took out that Namek brat if he was close by. I'm sure Lord Frieza will be pleased."

Feeling proud of himself, he took off to return to his master's side, leaving a large crater behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Just to let you know, even though my story has taken a plot similar to the series, things are going to be different. Power levels for one thing. Vegeta is actually a lot stronger now than he was in the anime; Zarbon merely caught him off guard. Stay tuned for more.)


	21. Back From the Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay. A lot of things have been happening and I've had zero free time. I managed to finally get a break and put this chapter together. Hope you like it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 21: Back From the Dead**

Frieza was becoming impatient. Zarbon and Dodoria should have been back by now. How long did it take to kill off two saiyan rejects? Speaking of which, where the hell did they come from?

Well, he knew where Tarble came from, but what of the other one? Hadn't that been the son of Kakarat, the one that called himself Goku? How'd he escape planet Vegeta? Had he been away on a mission? There hadn't been any, at least none he had ordered. How many other monkeys were still out there?

"My lord?"

Zarbon had returned, and it was about time too. "I was wondering what took you so long?" He frowned, seeing that Dodoria was not with him. "And where is our fat friend?"

Zarbon sighed. "Unfortunately, Dodoria was defeated, my lord?"

Frieza would have raised an eyebrow if he had one. "You're telling me he was beaten by two apes and a tadpole?"

Zarbon shook his head. "Actually, it was Prince Vegeta who defeated him."

Freiza felt a chill run through him. "Vegeta? You say Vegeta was here?"

The green-haired alien nodded. "From what I've learned, Prince Tarble managed to call for help when Cui attacked. Vegeta and the saiyan child went on a rescue mission to save him."

Now things started to make sense. "I see. So then it was Vegeta who defeated Cui. I didn't think Tarble could beat him. And that traitor Cui told him of my plan to achieve immortality, so they came here?"

Zarbon smirked. "Not to worry. I took care of Vegeta and those other two monkeys. They'll never bother you again."

Frieza frowned. "And what of the Namekian child?"

The smile left Zarbon's face. "Unfortunately, while I was distracted with Vegeta, he managed to slip away."

"Did he now?" Anger seeped into his voice. "Tell me, Zarbon, why do you think we haven't left any survivors at the villages we've been to?"

The question seemed to confuse Zarbon. "Um, because they were of no more use to us?"

Frieza slammed his fist into the wall, cracking it. "You fool! It's so those Namekians wouldn't warn their brethren of us. It would be very troublesome if they managed to get away with the Dragon Balls. If that little brat tells his friends that we're collecting the Dragon Balls…"

Zarbon gulped. "S-Sire… I didn't think-"

"Obviously!" Frieza snapped. "And furthermore, if Vegeta was indeed trying to beat me to collecting the Dragon Balls, he may have found one and hidden it away somewhere! And if you really killed him, then he took its hiding place to his grave!"

This was not good. Zarbon had thought that he would be praised, but he had screwed up big time. "S-Sire, I'll go back and check. Perhaps Vegeta is still alive. You know how tough it is to get rid of vermin like them."

"If he's not alive, you better hope like hell he didn't get his hands on a Dragon Ball. Then you better find that Namek kid that got away."

Zarbon backed away from his master's wrath. "H-How am I supposed to find him without a scouter?"

"That is for you to figure out? This is your last chance Zarbon. If you mess up again, I'll kill you myself."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Vegeta felt his strength returning. It was a feeling of relief, like when the blood rushed back to one of his limbs after it had fallen asleep. The feeling started in his chest and spread to the rest of his body, and with it came his old strength and power.

No, not his old strength, but something greater. He had suffered a near death experience, almost dying from Zarbon's attack. As a saiyan, his body adapted to survive, becoming even stronger than before.

But how? Unless he had eaten a Senzu bean, he shouldn't be recovering this fast.

His eyes snapped open and he saw the Namekian kid standing over him. Golden light was pouring from the child's hand over Vegeta's body. This little kid had healing powers.

Vegeta sat up suddenly. "What's going on? Where's Zarbon?"

"Relax." Said Tarble. "He's long gone."

Vegeta glanced at his brother, seeing that he was all right, as was Gohan, who was standing a few feet behind him. "What do you mean, he's gone?"

Tarble shrugged. "He can't sense power levels, right? He must have thought he killed us."

"And he almost did." Gohan added. "But luckily Dende saved us. Turns out he has healing powers."

Vegeta looked at the Namekian. He didn't like the fact that he had needed saving from this little toad. "Humph, don't think I'm going to thank you. I didn't ask for your help."

"Vegeta!" Tarble cried. "That was rude."

But the Namekian, Dende, merely glared at Vegeta. "I didn't do it for you. I can sense the darkness in your heart. I could have just left you there to die, but your friends begged me to save you. Next time I'll just leave you there to rot."

Vegeta raised his hand to smack the boy. But it was just for show. Once Dende flinched, Vegeta felt like he made his point and lowered his hand.

"To think I let that ugly freak get the better of me. I was just caught off guard by his sudden change."

"I don't think its just that." said Gohan. "Did you feel how much his energy went up?"

"Of course I did! And I'm humiliated to have been beaten by one as weak as him! Well, I will not be defeated again! The next time I see him, I'm going to snap his neck!"

Tarble gulped. His brother was in one of his moods. It was time to change the topic. "Um, ok, but let's worry about that later. We should get back to the girls and get a move on with finding the Dragon Balls."

The real reason for their trip to this planet came back to him, and Vegeta turned to the Namekian. "You, brat, do you know of any other Dragon Balls?" He received no reply. Vegeta lost his patience and picked the child up by his shirt collar. "Listen up, Frieza already has five Dragon Balls. From what I hear, there are only seven. That means he just needs two more before he can make his wish. And when that happens, all of us, including the entire universe, will be at that mad man's mercy. Our only hope is to get our hands on one of the Dragon Balls. As long as Frieza's missing even one, he can't make his wish. Now start talking."

Gohan grabbed Vegeta's hand, trying to free Dende from his grip. "Let him go, Vegeta! This isn't the way! Besides, he's already agreed to help us!"

With an angry snarl, the saiyan prince tossed the boy away from him. Dende rubbed his neck and glared up at Vegeta defiantly. "I know of your purpose here. Your friends explained the situation. I'm going to take you to see the elder."

Vegeta stomped his foot, cracking the ground. "I don't give a damn about the elder unless he has a Dragon Ball!"

"He does!" Dende replied quickly. "And he's the  _only_  one who knows how to summon the eternal dragon."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, the only one? Is there some special ritual that needs to be done with the Dragon Balls?"

"Only the elder knows that." Dende replied defiantly. "And you better not do him any harm. He's the maker of the Draogn Balls, and if he dies, then the Dragon Balls will be rendered useless."

Vegeta's fists clenched. Great, another obstacle. Now he had to be nice to a Namekian senior citizen. "Fine, lets get going."

"But what about Bulma and Gure?" Gohan asked. "We can't just leave them."

Vegeta growled. Just what he needed, two more people to worry about. Maybe he should just leave them there; it'd probably be safer for them anyway.

On second thought, knowing Bulma, she'd get tired of waiting and go out on her own, if she hadn't already. That was just the way she was. Then he'd have to waste even more time looking for her.

"Fine, we'll go pick them up then go see the old toad."

"Do not speak ill of the elder!" Dende snapped.

"Shut up, brat!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Please don't go!" Gure cried, pulling on Bulma's shirt. "We were told to stay here!"

"I don't care!" Bulma argued, trying to pull away from the little alien. "I'm not waiting here for who knows how long while they're off doing who knows what! Now let me go!"

She didn't expect Gure to actually listen to her, so when she was suddenly released, she fell to the ground.

"What was that about?" she demanded.

"They're coming back." Gure announced happily.

Bulma blinked in surprise, her anger draining away. "Huh? Their back?"

She found out that Gure was right. A few moments later, the three saiyans, along with a green child, came in for a landing. Bulma's brief relief soon gave way to anger and she stormed over to Vegeta and began pounding her fists against his chest.

"You big jerk! I can't believe you really left us here! You big, stupid, egotistic…" That's when she noticed his battered appearance. "Hey, what happened? You're all beaten up."

Vegeta just brushed her aside. "Just a mishap. Now come on, we're going."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Zarbon swore as he continued flying around randomly. This was just ridiculous. He doubted Vegeta was still alive, but if he went back to Frieza empty-handed, he was screwed. If he brought back the saiyan prince's body… well, maybe he could get away with receiving a massive beating rather than death.

"I at least wish I had a scouter. Even if he is alive, how am I supposed to find him?"

But as he flew around, luck seemed to favor him. In the distance, he saw some figures flying. They were too far away to make out who they were, but at least it was something to go on.

"Looks like my luck hasn't run out quite yet." He said, then gave chase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy, and still will be for a while. I'll update as often as I can.)


	22. The Elder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: You're made, I know. I don't like to keep people waiting, but I've been suffering from the worst writer's block ever. It's just a hassle to even come up with a plot at this time, but I'm doing my best. He's the next installment.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 22: The Elder**

"How much further is it?" Vegeta demanded impatiently.

"It's just up ahead." Dende told him. "See that large rock formation? His palace is right at the top."

They came in for a landing, coming down by a much larger Namekian house, but still just as strange as the others. Vegeta eyed the place with disgust. "You call this a palace?"

"We are humble people." Said a Namekian, walking from out of the so-called palace. "We enjoy the simple things in life."

Gohan eyed the Namekian warrior in amazement. "This guys the elder? He sure looks young."

Dende shook his head. "No, this is Nail. He serves as the elder's bodyguard."

Nail eyed the newcomers curiously. "Why have you brought them here, Dende?" His eyes narrowed when they settled on Vegeta. "Especially this one. I sense darkness in his heart. You risk the elder's life bringing him here."

"It was the lesser of two evils." Dende replied. "Surely the elder must be aware of what's happening."

Nail frowned. "We are not sure of what circumstances, but the elder has sensed his children suffering."

"It's Frieza." Gohan said loudly. "He's a murderer that's searching for the Dragon Balls so he can become immortal."

"The Dragon Balls?" Nail cried. "How would an outsider know of the Dragon Balls?"

A loud cough came from inside the house, followed by the hoarse voice of an old man. "Nail, please, let them in. I will see to these visitor myself."

Vegeta humphed. "About time." he grumbled, pushing past Nail.

Bulma and the others followed behind him. She was actually rather curious to see this elder person that had given birth to the remaining Namekians on the planet. What she saw shocked her. The Namekian elder was ancient, covered head to toe with wrinkles. He was rather obese, and giant in size, at least five times bigger than the Namekians she's seen. She briefly wondered if he was blind since his eyes were closed.

"So you were the ones I detected." The elder stated. "I felt others arrive after the first group. It is good to meet you. I am Guru, the Namekian elder."

Dende bowed to him. "Honorable elder, I beg you to help us. These people can rid us of those that wish to do us harm."

"I see." Guru replied.

Nail stepped forward. "With all due respect, I'm not entirely sure these people can be trusted." He glanced at Vegeta. "This one in particular."

Guru kept his eyes closed, but looked directly at Vegeta. "I sense why you are concerned, my child, but in order to truly see what a person is like, one must go through all their layers." He held out his large hand. "Please, one of you take my hand."

Bulma hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to grab the large green hand. But Vegeta suddenly grabbed her and pulled her back. "What are you going to do?" he demanded in what could perhaps been concern for her welfare.

"Simply speeding up the explanations." The old Namekian replied. "Don't worry, none of you shall be harmed."

Gohan stepped forward. "I don't know what you're going to do, but you can do it to me instead."

Guru smiled. "Brave boy, but you have nothing to fear." He rested his hand on top of Gohan's head and it began glowing. "Oh, I see… Oh, dear, this is not good at all… Simply tragic…" He removed his hand. "Oh my, what an awful predicament. The situation is much more dire than I thought. I'm afraid we're all in terrible danger."

"Are they trustworthy?" Nail asked. His eyes shifted to Vegeta. "All of them?"

"In this case, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Guru replied. "As long as Frieza and his gang are here, we are on the same side as these young folk."

Nail crossed his arms. "I still don't trust him."

Vegeta was beginning to lose his temper. "Enough of all this. Are you going to help us, or not?"

Guru considered the saiyan prince's words for a moment. "I would like to help you and my people, but my son, Nail, does make a point. Even from what I have seen in this young man's mind, you have committed many dark deeds, Prince Vegeta, even if they had been on Frieza's orders."

Vegeta's fists clenched. "How do you know all that? Did you really read his mind?"

Guru nodded. "Yes, and I do not yet know if I can trust you."

Vegeta raised his hand at the elder, gathering energy. "Will this help convince you?"

Nail reacted, ready to defend the elder, but Vegeta's hand moved away from the old Namekian and fired a blast of energy at the wall. There was a painful cry as the wall was blown apart and Zarbon was thrown backwards.

Vegeta smirked at the green-haired man. "Zarbon, you fool, did you actually think I didn't know you were there? I knew you've been following us the whole time. What was your plan, listen for any news about the Dragon Balls, then kill us all?"

Zarbon got up and dusted himself off. "Something along those lines. Guess I'll have to settle for torturing the information out of you."

Vegeta smirked. "I don't think so. I'm done being at the receiving end of your abuse. This time I'm going to put an end to you once and for all."

Zarbon laughed. "Haven't we been through this before?"

"You failed to kill me."

Zarbon nodded. "So it seems. You saiyans are like roaches; very hard to kill, and you come back bothersome as before. But this time," he transformed into his monstrous form, "I'll finish the job."

He charged at Vegeta, kicking outward. The saiyan prince grabbed his flying leg, surprising the hideous alien.

"What?"

Vegeta grinned. "You caught me off guard last time. Not anymore."

He threw Zarbon into the rock formation the elder's house was on. Zarbon crashed into it, only to have Vegeta slam into him a moment later, both of them bursting through the other side.

Up above, the others looked on in horror as the two did battle. Fearing for his brother, Tarble quickly ran back inside and bowed at the elder's feet. "Honorable elder, please, help my brother. He has had a hard life, full of misery and suffering at the hands of Frieza. Though he has many faults, please don't let him die."

Guru considered this for a moment. "I cannot help your brother at this time, but I can give you the power to help him." He turned towards the door. "Gohan, come in here, my boy." Once both saiyans stood before him, he placed his hands on their heads. "Inside each of us is a hidden power waiting to be released. I have the ability to awaken that power within you."

"Please hurry!" Tarble cried. "My brother was almost killed once by that monster. I don't want him to…"

He trailed off as a wave of power went through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I wanted it to be longer, but I came up short. I'll try and have a decent fight scene between Zarbon and Vegeta, and even Gohan and Tarble will get in on the action a bit.)


	23. One Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: To make up for a short chapter during my previous update, I've worked extra hard on this one. It's not as long as I wanted, but I think it came out good.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 23: One Step Closer**

Vegeta's fist slammed into Zarbon's jaw yet again. The green-haired alien grunted in pain. Feeling something in his mouth, he spat it out, discovering that the saiyan prince had knocked out one of his teeth.

He just couldn't get it. How had Vegeta become so strong? He hadn't stood a chance the last time they fought. Even with his saiyan ability to become stronger after a near death experience, it shouldn't have been possible for him to become _this_  strong.

Looking down at his reflection in the water, the pretty boy Zarbon wasn't so pretty looking anymore. And it wasn't because of his monstrous transformation. His armor was cracked in various places, his cape was torn to shred, his hair was now flowing loose, and he was covered in cuts and bruises. Then there was the tooth he had just lost.

Growling, Zarbon looked back at Vegeta. "This shouldn't be possible. You were no match for me last time."

Vegeta grinned. "Last time I was too shocked by your ugliness to react, but no more. Getting lucky last time only served to make me stronger."

He was about to say more, but a sudden spike in energy from Gohan and Tarble distracted him. Shocked, he looked up at the elder's palace, wonmdering what just happened. The power level of the two of them had more than tripled. Had the elder done it? Was this the kind of help he was offering?

A painful punch in the face brought him back to the battle. Zarbon had done a sneak attack while he had been distracted. But it was his own fault for not paying attention. Still, if the old toad had increased their powers, then once Zarbon was dealt with, he would force the fat frog to do the same for him.

Zarbon threw another punch, but this time Vegeta caught his fist. Overpowering his opponent, he began bending Zarbon's wrist back. Zarbon grunted in pain and threw another punch, but Vegeta caught this one too and began to bend it back as well.

"Say uncle and I'll let you go." Vegeta taunted.

Zarbon growled. "Fine. UNCLE!"

As he hollered, he unleashed a blast of energy from his mouth. Vegeta got a face full, getting thrown backwards and splashing into the water.

"Ha, ha!" Zarbon laughed. "I've got you now!"

He began shooting energy blasts off in all different direction. But being unable to sense Vegeta's energy, and unable to see him beneath the water, he was just firing blindly.

"And now for the big one!" Zarbon declared as he raised his arms over his head, gathering a vast amount of energy that would blast the saiyan prince out of the water.

But the ball of energy he was gathering was suddenly knocked out of his hands, sending it off to blow up harmlessly out of range. The next thing Zarbon knew, Gohan had grabbed his left arm while Tarble had his right, both of them twisting his limbs behind his back.

"You little pests!" Zarbon snarled. "Unhand me!"

"He's all yours, bro!" Tarble cried, completely ignoring Zarbon.

The water exploded and Vegeta came flying up, slamming his fist into Zarbon's guy. The green-haired alien gasped in pain, spitting up a mouthful of blood. Gohan and Tarble released him, and he held his stomach, wheezing in pain.

"You're finished, Zarbon." Vegeta told him. "You're almost too pathetic to kill, but if I could bare your insults for all those years, I think I could bare the guilt of crushing an overgrown insect like you."

Zarbon looked at Vegeta with utmost hatred. "Do you impudent little worms really think I'll let you win? Even if you defeat me, I'll never allow you to get the Dragon Balls." He glanced up at the elder's palace. "You'll be lost without that old toad's help."

Moving at super speed, he suddenly appeared in front of the palace. Nail stood blocking his path, but Zarbon didn't pay him any mind.

"Long live Lord Frieza!" he declared, then opened his mouth to unleash another energy blast, this time upon the Namekian elder and his bodyguard.

Vegeta suddenly appeared in his path and punched forward. His fist pushed through Zarbon's blast and went right into Zarbon's open mouth, past Vegeta's wrist. The green-haired alien's eyes bulged out as he felt his jaw break.

"You know, Zarbon," Vegeta told him, "you really talk too much."

Keeping his hand halfway down Zarbon's throat, he fired a blast of energy. Zarbon's body expanded until it couldn't take it anymore and the blast burst out, destroying him once and for all.

When the smoke cleared, Vegeta wiped the blood and drool off on his pants. He grunted his satisfaction, then turned to face Nail. "Well, now that that's taken care of, lets get down to business."

Nail just glared at him. "Destroying an enemy me both share does not make you our ally."

Vegeta just smirked. "If what I'm planning works, I may not even need your help." He walked back inside and looked up at Guru. "Hey, old man, I want you to do to me what you did to them."

Bulma sighed. "There he goes again, demanding. Hey, Vegeta, why don't you try asking nicely for a change?"

"Stay out of this, woman!" Vegeta snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about." His attention returned to the grand elder. "I don't know how you did it, but you made my brother and that brat stronger. I want you to do the same to."

Dende moved protectively in front of the elder. "You show him some respect!"

Vegeta simply pushed him aside. "Get lost, twerp. The adults are talking."

The elder coughed before speaking. "Yes, it is true that I have the ability to awaken the sleeping power within others, however, I will not do this for someone with a dark heart."

Vegeta growled. "Will you quit fooling around! I don't mind forcing you if I have to."

"You wouldn't dare." Nail replied. "The elder is in poor health as it is. Harm him in anyway, and you'll never get your wish."

"That's right!" Dende cried, trying to sound brave. "The elder created the Dragon Balls. If he dies, the Dragon Balls will lose their power."

Vegeta swore, but then his attention shifted to the little Namekian. "Then maybe I'll just pound on you until he agrees."

To everyone's surprise, Bulma grabbed Vegeta by the ear and pulled him back. "That's enough out of you. You'll do no such thing."

Vegeta pulled away, clearly embarrassed. "Don't treat me like a child!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

"I am not!"

"Waah," Bulma mocked in a baby voice, "the elder won't let me have my way. I'll just throw a tantrum until I get what I want! That's what children do!"

"Woman, will you get off my back!"

"Or what? You'll throw me on mine?"

"I didn't hear you complaining last time!"

"How dare you, you big-"

The elder began laughing. The others gave him a confused look, wondering what he found so funny.

"Forgive me." he said. "It's just nice to see how much you two care for each other."

"Who cares for who?" Bulma and Vegeta chorused.

The elder just smiled, as if he knew something they didn't. Then he became serious again. "Vegeta, if you wish to have your hidden power unlocked, I can do it for you. But I must look inside your head and your heart first."

Vegeta's fists clenched. "I will not have you rummaging around in my head, old man!"

Gure raised her hand, speaking for the first time. "Mr. elder, if you want proof that Prince Vegeta is on our side, I can vouch for him."

The elder gave her a kind smile. "You are a sweet one, but I'm afraid no one can speak for what is truly in a person's heart unless I've seen it."

The saiyan prince growled irritably. "So you're saying that you won't raise my power unless I let you read my mind?"

"It is the only way."

Vegeta crossed his arms stubbornly. He didn't want the overweight Namekian looking in his head. Then again, the old toad was at death's door. He wouldn't be around much longer to tell anyone anything.

"Fine!" he snarled. "But everything you see in my head stays confidential."

Guru smiled and held out his hand. "But of course."

The saiyan prince very reluctantly let the elder place his hand on his head. Immediately, images began flying through his head. He saw himself as a child, meeting Frieza for the first time, he saw his mother murdered by the evil alien to set an example, he saw himself conquer worlds and kill in Frieza's name, he saw himself and his people being humiliated, abused, and killed by Frieza and his men for mere sport, he saw himself facing Cui and hearing about the destruction of his home planet and people.

He relived his entire life in a few short seconds. When he returned to the present, he looked up at the elder in surprise. Guru's face was filled with sadness and pity at what he had just seen.

"Oh my," he muttered. "Oh, you poor, poor man. What you and your people have gone through… it's an absolute tragedy. This Frieza is truly a heartless monster. He may very well be the most evil person in the entire universe. Oh, Vegeta, I feel so sorry for you and your people."

Vegeta was suddenly furious. He  _hated_  it when people felt sorry for him. "I don't want you pity! What I want his for you to make me stronger."

Guru sighed. "Well whether you want it or not, you still have my sympathy. I see now that the darkness that plagues you is not your fault. It was that monster Frieza. He alone is to blame for the crimes you and your people committed. No one should be forced to endure what you've been through."

Vegeta looked ready to kill the elder, so Gohan quickly spoke up. "So, will you help, sir?"

Guru nodded. "Yes, you have my support." He placed his hand on Vegeta's head again. "And Vegeta, remember one thing. You can always change. It's not too late to be different from him. He's trying to make a monster out of you. But if you let him turn you into what he wants, then he really will win."

Vegeta was taken aback by the Namekian's words, but quickly recovered. "I don't need your opinion on…"

He trailed off as he felt power flow through him. His energy level spiked greatly, going to heights he hadn't thought possible.

The elder sat back and smiled. "It is done."

Vegeta barely heard him as he examined himself. "Incredible. I've never felt this way before."

Guru chuckled. "The power was in you all along. I simply brought it out."

"And you'll need that power." Came a new voice.

They all turned to find another Namekian enter the palace. This one was nearly as old as Guru, but nowhere near as big or as overweight.

Regardless of the fact that his eyes remained closed, Guru knew who it was. "Ah, Kami It's been a long time, brother. What brings you here?"

The newly arrived Namekian nodded in greeting. "Unfortunately, nothing good. You are aware of the situation?"

Guru nodded. "Yes, but until a moment ago, I had not realized how dire it truly was."

Bulma glanced at Dende. "Who's he?"

Dende put a finger to his lips. "Shh. That's Kami, Guru's little brother. He's the Guardian of Namek."

Vegeta snorted. "Some guardian."

"I'm afraid it's worse than you think." Kami told them. "I have seen what these men have done to our planet and our people. Nowhere is safe. Not even the Lookout."

"They found the Lookout?" Nail exclaimed.

Kami nodded. "My guards fought valiantly, but fell in battle. I tried to flee with the Dragon Ball, but alas, they managed to take it from me."

"They spared you?" Bulma asked in surprise.

Kami managed a weak smile. "No, but fortunately I managed to regenerate the damage to my body. It seems they're unaware of our healing capabilities."

So they could regenerate, Vegeta noted. He'd make sure to keep that in mind.

"But they now have six Dragon Balls." Kami continued.

Gure tried to remember what she heard about the Dragon Balls. "That means they only need one more to grant their wish. We're running out of time!"

"Calm yourself." Guru told her. "As long as they are missing even one, they won't be able to have their wish granted. And even if they did get all seven," he gave that smile again, as if he knew something they didn't, "they'll still have trouble summoning the dragon."

Kami nodded in agreement. "Yes, but that still leaves us in grave danger. Especially now. It seems this Frieza has become desperate. He's called for reinforcements, and now five immensely powerful beings are approaching our world."

Vegeta felt a feeling of dread flow through him. "Did you say five? And they're on their way here?"

He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. Now that he was searching for it, he could feel their presence approaching the planet.

"No, this can't be."

"What?" Bulma asked.

"Frieza's summoned the Ginyu Force."

Gohan, Tarble, and Gure all gasped, but Bulma still looked confused. "What's the Ginyu Force?"

Gohan looked absolutely terrified as he spoke. "They're Frieza's strongest men. They're monsters that take great enjoyment in killing. They'll slaughter us all."

Tarble looked at Vegeta. "Do you think you can take them?"

Vegeta had to stop and think about that. "I don't know. In the past, I would have said no, but with these new powers, we at least stand a chance."

"Not to mention we have Senzu beans." Bulma reminded him.

"It may not be enough." Gohan told her. "These guys are out for blood, and they'll kill anyone who stands in their way."

Kami turned to them. "Do not despair. I have called my son back to this planet to help us."

"Ah yes," said Guru. "Your son, Piccolo, is our strongest warrior. If only he hadn't left, then perhaps our numbers wouldn't have dropped so drastically."

Vegeta didn't think another toad would be of much help. "We don't have time to wait for this Piccolo. He wouldn't be much help anyway."

"Don't be too sure." Nail told him. "Piccolo is a mighty warrior. He left Namek to gain even more experience. His power, more than likely, is even greater than yours."

Vegeta didn't believe that for a second. "Time is still against us. If the Ginyu Force is coming, they'll be bringing scouters with them. They'll find and kill all of you before this great warrior even gets here. Our only hope is to beat them to the seventh Dragon Ball."

"That will not be a problem." Guru replied.

Reaching up, he took a large golden orb from the top of his thrown. A single star rested in the center of this orb. A Dragon Ball had been right there this whole time. How had they missed it?

"Is that…?" Vegeta asked.

"The one-star ball." Guru finished for him. "I entrust it to you."

Vegeta accepted the ball, looking at it in amazement.

Nail looked uncertain of the elder's decision. "Sir, is this wise?"

"They will do a better job at keeping it safe than you or I." Guru replied. "And if they manage to steal the other Dragon Balls, then they will be able to make their wish."

Vegeta was no longer listening. His focus was entirely on the Dragon Ball. He was one step closer to immortality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm really proud how this chapter turned out. I wish I could have dragged the fight scene with Zarbon out a little longer, but I think this chapter was a descent length. And yes, Kami is Guru's brother in this story and Piccolo is Kami's son, but more on that later. Now our heroes have a power boost and a Dragon Ball, but the Ginyu Force is on their way, and there's no Goku to help. Trouble will be coming soon.)


	24. Enter The Ginyu Force

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: So, you know that the Ginyu Force is on their way, and with no Goku to help, it's just Vegeta, Gohan, and Tarble. But they are stronger than they were at the time on the show, at least Vegeta is. So lets see how it goes.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 24: Enter The Ginyu Force**

It was about time they got here. Frieza was really short on patience and was ready to kill the next living thing he saw. No, he must control himself. It wouldn't do to kill his top agents as soon as they got here. But they had better make quick work of getting the last Dragon Ball. Once he was immortal and literally had all the time in the world, then he would practice on being more patient.

Just then, five space pods crashed into the ground outside his ship. Frieza couldn't help but smirk. His beloved Ginyu Force had never let him down before. With the new scouters he ordered them to bring, they should find the last Dragon Ball in no time. His team was perfect.

Well, except for…

Emerging from the first space pod, a four-eyed toad-like alien struck a strange pose. "Guldo!"

This was followed by a cry from a very large muscular man with orange hair striking another pose. "Recoome!"

Next came the tallest of the group, a blue-skinned reptile-like alien striking a third pose and announcing, "Burter!"

The fourth pod opened to reveal a red-skinned man with long white rock-star type hair taking on a fourth pose. "Jeice!"

Finally, the last pod opened, and a purple-skinned oni-like alien danced into the center of the group and struck a final pose. "And introducing the beloved leader of this group, Captain Ginyu!" As one, they all turned to Frieza. "And together we are-"

"THE GINYU FORCE!" they announced together.

Frieza sweat-dropped. This was the only problem with his men; they were a bit eccentric. No, scratch that, they were completely insane. Almost like children that couldn't stop playing games.

"Um… yes, uh, welcome, Ginyu Force. So glad you could make it."

"Yes, sir, Lord Frieza!" Ginyu cried. "We are always here to serve you!"

Frieza was beginning to feel embarrassed being in their presence. "Uh huh… Um, you can drop the poses now. I have a mission for you guys. But first, have you brought the scouter I requested?"

Jeice stepped forward and got down on his knees as he presented his lord and master with the device. "This is the newest most advanced model, Lord Frieza."

The evil alien accepted the device and attached it to his face. "Very good. Now then, your mission is to find and deliver the last Dragon Ball to me." He motioned to the other six. "It will resemble one of those, and if my suspicions are correct, it'll have only one star."

"At once, Lord Frieza." Captain Ginyu declared. "We shall not fail you."

"One other thing," Frieza added. "It seems as if Vegeta and a few of his friends are trying to find the Dragon Balls as well. In fact, he may already have one of them. Since Zarbon has yet to return, I can only assume he was defeated. Check with Vegeta first. If he doesn't have the Dragon Ball or know where it is, kill him and his companions, then search out the next Namekian village. There shouldn't be too many left."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the Ginyu Force shouted.

"Ginyu Force, move out!" the leader cried, and the five of them flew off, leaving Frieza to wonder how such imbeciles could be so good at what they do.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

They were here, and they were coming for them. Vegeta had sensed it the moment the Ginyu Force had landed. And of course they would have brought scouters. It wouldn't have been much of a problem if they could simply hide their power levels, but then the Ginyu Force might find the elder's home instead and kill him. Then the Dragon Balls would be useless. So Vegeta had decided to lead them away from the elder and take his chances fighting them one on one.

He wouldn't have to wait long. The Ginyu Force was fast, very fast. They would be upon him and the others in seconds.

"We'll land here and wait for them." He told the others.

He came in for a landing, followed by Gohan and Tarble. Even with their new power, they would be next to useless, but he would need all the help he could get. Of course, Bulma insisted on coming along, but he had flat out rejected that. She would only get in the way.

"Shouldn't we have left the Dragon Ball with the others?" Tarble asked.

"And trust it to those toads?" Vegeta sneered. "No way. I don't trust them with it."

Gohan gulped. "Do we stand a chance against the Ginyu Force?"

Vegeta grumbled. "Perhaps, perhaps not. At least the two of you can provide a distraction, and we do have the Senzu beans."

The color drained from Tarble's face. "Um, actually, I left them with the others."

Vegeta turned to him in a fury. "YOU WHAT?"

Tarble flinched. "Well… I figured that with the elder dying, perhaps the Senzu beans could help keep him alive long enough for us to get our wish."

"YOU IMBICEL! Why would you do something stupid like that? That Namekian kid has healing powers, doesn't he?"

Tarble looked down as he tapped his index fingers together. "Yeah, but I don't think that'll work, or else he would have healed the elder already. But I thought the Senzu beans might help."

"So why didn't you just give them one?" Gohan asked, seeing the reason in Tarble's idea, but also the stupidity.

"Cause he may need to take them repeatedly. Taking one may keep him alive longer, but he'll still be old and sick when the affects wear off. So he'll need to take another right away."

Vegeta raised his fist to bring it down on his idiot brother's head. "You incompetent moron!"

It was at that moment that the Ginyu Force arrived. "Hey, don't go killing him off before we have our fun." The captain told him.

Vegeta swore. "Great, just what I don't need."

"Hey, captain, take a look at that." said Jeice, pointing to the golden orb in Vegeta's arms. "I guess he did have a Dragon Ball after all."

"That was too easy." Recoome laughed.

Vegeta glanced at his brother before shoving the Dragon Ball in his hands. "Keep that safe; you can at least do that." He turned back to the Ginyu Force. "If you want that Dragon Ball, you're going to have to go through me."

The Ginyu Force laughed. "We intended to whether you had the Dragon Ball or not." Burter told him.

"But first things first." Said Guldo.

The Dragon Ball suddenly disappeared from Tarble's arms. There was no super speed, no rapid movement or anything. One moment it was in his arms, the next it was in Guldo's.

"Huh? Hey!" Tarble exclaimed.

The Ginyu Force laughed again. "Nice one, Guldo." Recoome told the toad.

"Nicked it right out from under his nose." Jeice added.

Shocked, Vegeta looked back and forth from the Dragon Ball in Guldo's arms to the empty arms of his brother. "So it's true after all. That little amphibian has the power to manipulate time."

Guldo grinned. "I didn't know monkeys could even tell time." he taunted, tossing the ball to the captain.

Ginyu snatched the ball out of the air. "Good work, men. I'll deliver this to Lord Frieza while you four clean up here."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Grinning mockingly, Ginyu took off with the last Dragon Ball.

"Hold it!" Gohan shouted, getting ready to give chase.

"Don't bother!" Vegeta snapped. "You'll never catch up with him, let alone get passed these four."

"So we're just going to let him go?" Tarble cried. "But Frieza will get his wish."

Vegeta smirked. "Perhaps not. Something tells me that there's more to this wish business than we think."

He'd remembered what the elder said had said about Frieza having trouble summoning the dragon even after having collected all seven. If his guess was correct, there was a trick that needed to be done with the Dragon Balls that Frieza didn't know about.

"So," said Recoome, "which one of us gets to fight them."

"Yeah, there's only three of them and four of us." Jeice pointed out.

"Not even." Said Guldo. "Only Vegeta is worthwhile. The other two, even together, won't even provide a challenge."

"Then we'll make 'em a pair." Recoome suggested simply. "The usual way?"

"The usual way." The others echoed. "Ready? Rock, paper, scissor! Tie, go again! Tie, go again! Tie, go again! Tie, go again!"

As the four continued making fools of themselves, Vegeta glanced at his companions. "Let me handle this. You two just stand by in case I need backup." The other two nodded. "If you do end up fighting, don't get too close to Guldo. He's the weakest of them all, but his power over time makes him deadly."

"I win!" Guldo announced.

"Hey, no fair!" Recoome whined. "I'll bet you froze time just as we revealed and looked at what we were makin' so you could win."

"Prove it!"

"Don't be a sore loser, mate." Jeice told the big man. "We still get to see who gets the twerps."

"Wait!" Burter cried. "I thought that game was to decide who would fight them."

"No, it was to fight Vegeta." Guldo explained.

"Duh, but I thought we were decidin' on the twerps too." Recoome added.

"You're just saying that so I get stuck with them and you get another chance to fight Vegeta."

"I'll settle this right now!" Vegeta shouted, and fired a blast of energy at them.

Three of the Ginyus took off, but Guldo wasn't fast enough. Instead he took a deep breath.  _"TIME FREEZE!"_

Instantly, time stopped for everyone and everything but him. When it did, Guldo was shocked to see Vegeta's energy blast just inches away from him. If he hadn't stopped time, he would have been toast.

But now he was the one in control. Vegeta was frozen in time, unaware and completely helpless. Guldo marched over to him, cracking his knuckles. He was really going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Tarble made a really stupid mistake. Now they're on their own against the Ginyu Force, and Guldo's on the attack. I always wondered how/if he could affect things while time was frozen, aside from moving stuff around. He's no match for Vegeta otherwise. Once he's out of the way, things are going to get really interesting with the other Ginyus.)


	25. Time To Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry for the delay. Things have just been crazy, first with the earthquake- my first- then the hurricane. I do hope everyone is doing ok. The next installment is here. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 25: Time To Fight**

Vegeta's head snapped side-to-side, up and down, and diagonal as Guldo proceeded to punch and kick the saiyan prince's head while he was immobilized. Locked in time, there was nothing Vegeta could do to defend himself against Guldo's assault. In fact, he wasn't even aware the attack was taking place at the moment since time itself had stopped.

But as Guldo continued to exert himself, the need to breathe became greater. Unable to hold his breath any longer, he flew a good distance away from Vegeta and let out the breath he had been holding.

As the blast Vegeta had fired off earlier exploded against nothing, the saiyan prince grasped his head, wincing in pain. He suddenly had a headache, and he had no idea why.

Spotting Guldo a short distance away, looking smug, it didn't take long for him to figure it out. "You miserable coward."

The four-eyed toad just laughed. "Don't hate me because my abilities surpass your own."

"Trust me," Vegeta muttered, "that's not why I hate you."

Then he charged. Guldo let out a yelp of surprise as Vegeta's fist came flying at him.  _"TIME FREEZE!"_

When the blow didn't come, he figured he made it in time, but when he cracked his eyes open, they nearly popped out of his head. Vegeta's fist was  _right_ there in front of him. A millisecond longer, and he would have had the saiyan's fist smashed into his face.

Stepping back, he grabbed Vegeta's outstretched arm and swung him around. He let go, but Vegeta didn't go flying as he expected.

' _Oh, right, gravity is frozen.'_

Instead, he jumped up on Vegeta's back and slammed him to the ground where he proceeded to stomp on him. Feeling the need to breathe again, he flew up high and fired an energy blast down at the saiyan prince. The blast exploded and froze as it became locked in time, but Guldo was confident that within the frozen cloud of dust, Vegeta had been blown to pieces.

He breathed out and time began moving again. "That'll teach you to mess with me."

But when the cloud cleared, Vegeta was revealed to be very much alive. He didn't even seem that hurt, if at all. He was more angry than anything as he climbed to his feet.

"Now it's my turn." He grumbled.

Disappearing from the ground, he reappeared in the air beside Guldo.

"Ah!  _TIME FREE-"_

Vegeta's foot collided with him, and Guldo went crashing to the ground. The saiyan prince smirked as the rest of the Ginyu Force looked slightly frustrated.

"Hey, c'mon, Guldo, quit foolin' aroun'!" Recoome shouted.

"Yeah, mate, your making the rest of us look bad!" Jeice added.

Guldo mumbled under his breath as he stood up. He was shocked to see Vegeta right in front of him again.

"Prepare to die, toad!"

" _TIME FREEZE!"_

Time froze once again. Guldo seemed to realize that he needed a new strategy. So he summoned up his ultimate power and unleashed it upon the frozen saiyan.

' _It's time for Guldo's Special!'_

He unleashed his attack, and a dark cloud appeared around Vegeta. Smirking triumphantly, he let out his breath and time returned to normal. Though he was no longer frozen in time, Vegeta found himself unable to move.

"What? What is this?"

Guldo laughed. "Yeah, how do you like that? It's my Guldo's Special. Now you can't move."

"Damn you." Vegeta swore. "Do you really think you can hold me prisoner?"

"Struggle all you want, you'll never break free. Not even Lord Frieza would be able to escape that. Now, take this!"

Jumping up, he resumed his previous onslaught with punches, kicks, and energy blasts. This time Vegeta felt each and every one, but was unable to do anything to stop it.

"Big brother!" Tarble cried.

"Come on," said Gohan, "we've got to help!"

They charged towards Vegeta and Guldo, but the large form of Recoome suddenly appeared in their path, shaking his finger at them as if they were misbehaving kids. "Uh, uh, uh. You two be good boys and wait for yer turn."

Vegeta was getting angrier with each blow. This annoying toad was making a complete fool out of him. How was he supposed to fight if he couldn't even move?

"How's it feel to be put back in your place, Vegeta?" Guldo mocked.

Vegeta summoned up all his power. "Why don't you tell me!"

He unleashed his energy in a massive explosion without moving a muscle. Guldo cried out as the blast consumed him. And when the blast died down, Guldo was gone, and so was the immobilizing cloud that had surrounded Vegeta.

"No way!" said Jeice. "He beat Guldo?"

"Even while he was immobilized?" Burter finished.

Recoome blinked, as if something had just happened that he couldn't understand. Like a spoiled child, he turned to his companions and whined. "Hey, Jeice Burter, can he do that? Ain't that cheatin'?"

Burter crossed his arms. "Apparently not. It seems Vegeta found a loophole in Guldo's attack. He couldn't move his body, but he could still control his energy."

"Oh no!" Jeice cried. "How's this going to affect our pose?"

The other Ginyus looked horrified, as if this were the worst tragedy that could ever happen. Quickly they got into position and resumed their poses.

"We are the Ginyu Force!" they shouted.

They remained where they were for a few moments, as if waiting for feedback.

"Aw, man. The cap'n ain't gonna like this." Recoome complained.

"We'll make you pay for this!" Burter swore. He glanced at his companions. "So who's killing who now?"

"Well," said Jeice, "since Guldo is out of the picture, I guess we'll go again to decide who gets Vegeta, then we'll do the others. Ready?"

"Rock, paper, scissor! Tie, go again! Tie, go again! Tie, go again!"

"All righ'!" Recoome cried. "I win, I win!" He turned to Vegeta, grinning. "I hope yer ready to die."

Vegeta just glared at him. Though Guldo had the best abilities of the group, he was also the weakest. Recoome on the other hand, though he wasn't much on brains, was the strongest after the captain himself. This would be when the real fight started.

"Eraser Beam!" Recoome roared, firing a powerful energy blast from his mouth.

Vegeta vanished out of the attack's path and reappeared beside Recoome, delivering a powerful kick to the giant's head. The Ginyu goon went down, dazed, and Vegeta quickly grabbed hold of his feet, spinning Recoome around throwing him. He flew through the air, slamming into a rock wall, only to have Vegeta's knee collide with his chest, followed by a powerful energy blast.

Taking a breather, Vegeta jumped back and let the smoke clear. He was disappointed, though not surprised, to see Recoome on his feet, dusting himself off.

"Hey, not bad, Vegeta." He commented. "That hurt more than I expected. Yer pretty fast too. But let me show you what yer really up against." He glanced at his teammates. "Hey, guys, you migh' wanna step back for this."

"Is he gonna…?" Burter asked.

"Probably." Jeice replied. "He never did know how to hold back."

As the two of them took to the sky, Recoome began striking a series of poses before taking on a stance. "Recoome… Ultra… Fightin'…"

Vegeta didn't let him finish. Instead he fired a Galick Gun attack. Recoome's eyes bulged out just before the attack hit, blasting him straight through the rock wall, causing the entire stone structure to collapse on top of him.

Jeice and Burter were surprised. Vegeta was stronger than they expected. How very interesting.

Glaring down at the pile of rocks, Vegeta scoffed at the fallen mercenary. "That's the problem with you fools. You spend too much time talking and trying to look fancy. If you were smart, you'd just attack."

The pile of rocks exploded and Recoome lunged at Vegeta. His large hands closed around the saiyan prince's throat, bringing him to the ground as he cut off his air supply.

"Thanks for the advice, monkey." He mocked, squeezing Vegeta's throat.

The saiyan prince was unable to pry the giant's hands off of his neck, and instead began slamming his fist into Recoome's side and his knee into his gut. If the blows caused Recoome any pain, he ignored it. In fact, he was laughing as his grip tightened.

"It'll all be over soon." He said, as if talking to a child that had been put on timeout.

As Vegeta's blows became weaker, help came in the form of Gohan as the young saiyan attacked. But his punches and kicks were a mere nuisance. Recoome merely glanced at Gohan in annoyance before letting go of Vegeta's throat with one hand to elbow the young saiyan.

As Gohan went flying, Recoome turned towards Tarble, who was frozen in fear. "Well, aren' you gonna try?"

When Tarble didn't move, Recoome brought his hand to his face, touching his thumb to his nose, and wiggled his fingers at the boy while sticking out his tongue.

"Hey… Recoome…" Vegeta grunted.

When Recoome glanced down at him, Vegeta's fist slammed into his chin, snapping the giant's teeth down on his tongue. With a painful cry, he released Vegeta, covering his own mouth. The saiyan prince was instantly on his feet, breathing heavily as he massaged his throat.

"Ow! Hey!" Recoome whined. "You made me bite my tongue!"

"I'd rather you bite the dust!" Vegeta replied, and began firing a series of energy blasts.

Immediately forgetting his bleeding tongue, Recoome grinned and began swatting away the blasts, laughing all the while. "Ha, ha! This is fun! C'mon, Vegeta, give me a real challenge!"

"Fine then!"

He charged at Recoome, firing energy blasts all the while. With his hands occupied with knocking away the energy blasts, he couldn't react fast enough before Vegeta kicked him square in the face.

Using the impact with Recoome's face, Vegeta pushed off him, jumping straight up. As Recoome nursed his bloody nose, Vegeta fired a powerful energy blast down at him. The explosion was massive, the hole it left greater still, going down so deep that the bottom couldn't be seen.

Vegeta stepped up to the edge of the hole and looked down. Seeing nothing, he tried to sense if Recoome had survived the blast. Gohan too limped over and looked down while Tarble decided to remain at a safe distance away.

"Did you beat him?" Gohan asked, rubbing his sore shoulder.

It wasn't Vegeta that answered, but a voice from deep within the hole. "Recoome… Ultra… Fightin'…"

Vegeta realized what it was a moment too late. "GET BACK!"

"BOMBER!"

The hole lit up and the ground blew open around it from a massive energy blast. In the air, Jeice and Burter stayed out of range while Tarble was able to flee from the blast in time. Vegeta and Gohan were not so lucky. As if caught in a mighty storm, the two were tossed about in the blast.

"Betcha that one hurt." Jeice commented.

As the smoke cleared to reveal a hole several times deeper and larger than it was before, Vegeta forced himself to his feet. The power of the attack surprised him, and left him far more wounded than he would have expected. At least he hadn't fallen in the hole afterwards.

"Where is that overgrown oaf?" he muttered.

Recoome's laughter came from behind him. "Righ' over here, Vegeta." Covered in cuts and bruises, but not even noticing them, Recoome stepped forward. "I think you dropped somethin'." He held up a battered Gohan, holding him by his leg. "One of the last saiyans alive, and he's in my grasp. Don' you wanna save him?"

Vegeta just glared at him. "Hiding behind a child, are you? Coward."

Recoome grinned. "Not quite."

He charged at Vegeta, swinging Gohan like a weapon. Not expecting this, Vegeta received a blow to the head by Recoome swinging the boy at him. When swung Gohan again, but this time Vegeta blocked. Unfortunately, this still meant pain for Gohan as Recoome swung him again and again.

Vegeta swore as the dodged Recoome's so-called weapon. How could he fight back without hurting the boy? Not that he cared about him, he told himself; but as the saiyan prince, it was his duty to see to it that his species survived, and killing one of the last three saiyans didn't exactly fall into that category.

As Recoome swung Gohan again, Vegeta jumped back. This time Recoome threw Gohan at the saiyan prince. Reacting instinctually, Vegeta caught him, then had Recoome slam into him from behind, resulting in him landing right on Gohan.

Laughing, Recoome turned back towards Tarble. "You sure you don' wanna join in?" When he received no reply, he shrugged. "Suit yourself, but feel free to jump in at any time."

"Hey," Burter called down to him, "go easy on the kid, and don't provoke the other one. They belong to us."

"Yeah, yeah." Recoome mumbled, kicking Vegeta on his side off of Gohan. He picked the boy up by his tail, swung him around a few times, then tossed him aside. Looking down at Vegeta, he grinned. "Hey, you still alive?"

He received no reply. Frowning, he reached down and lifted Vegeta's head up by his hair. When he slammed the saiyan's head back down, he heard a painful grunt, making him smile.

"Oh good, you are." He licked his lips, as if he were about to enjoy a tasty treat. "Lets have some more fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things aren't looking so good. And this time there's no Goku to come and help. By the way, how did you like Vegeta's 'reason' for not attacking while Recoome had Gohan? It looks like it's all up to Tarble now. Oh, and yes, in case you were wondering, the chapter title did have a double meaning.)


	26. Bulma To the Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Someone asked why Vegeta was so weak compared to Recoome. He's actually a lot closer to him in power than it seems. After taking a hit from Recoome's attack last chapter, it left him injured and slightly dazed, allowing Recoome to get the upper hand for the time. He'll be back on his feet on no time, but for now it's Tarble's turn to shine… sort of.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 26: Bulma To the Rescue**

Tarble trembled as he watched Recoome pull his brother into a headlock and repeatedly drive his fist into him. Glancing at Gohan, he saw that the boy was out cold. That meant it was up to him to save his brother. But what could he do?

Looking at the other two Ginyu Force members, he saw that Burter and Jeice weren't even paying the least bit of attention to him. Apparently, they didn't even see him as a minor threat. It hurt his saiyan pride, but he knew it was true. He had to be the weakest and most cowardly saiyan in history.

Clenching his fists, he made a decision. It may very well get him killed, but at least he would be useful; he certainly wasn't doing anyone any good on the sidelines.

Unleashing a rather pathetic battle cry, he charged at Recoome. Jumping up, he kicked the giant in the back of the head as hard as he could. Recoome merely paused for a moment, as if he was unsure if he felt something or not, then went back to repeatedly burying his fist in Vegeta's gut.

Tarble attacked again, punching Recoome in the back of the neck. This time the large man seemed to actually take notice, and he glanced over his shoulder at the young saiyan.

"Hey, back off, pipsqueak. I'm busy righ' now." He elbowed Tarble, sending him flying backwards, and chuckled. "You really are an embarrassment, even among saiyans."

"Hey, Recoome."

The big man looked down at Vegeta. "Yeah?"

Vegeta's fist collided with his chin. Releasing the saiyan, Recoome stumbled back, rubbing his jaw. Vegeta aimed a kick to his side, and Recoome managed to block it, but he couldn't move fast enough to stop the punch to his head. While he was dazed, Vegeta unleashed a series of punches to his gut, then a powerful kick, knocking the giant backwards.

"Ouch!" Recoome mumbled, looking at Vegeta in surprise. "Where did that come from?"

Vegeta smirked. "What you thought this fight was over? Don't be absurd. I'll admit that your Fighting Bomber attack momentarily knocked me off balance, so you got in a few good hits, but this battle is long from over." He glanced at Tarble, then back at Recoome again. "I'll also admit that though my brother is weak and cowardly, he managed to distract you long enough for me to get my bearings again. Now it's time for you to feel my true power."

With a mighty cry, he unleashed an explosion of energy. Jeice and Burter took to the sky, but Recoome merely got into a defensive position to withstand the attack.

When the blast died down, Recoome was still standing, though most of his armor had been destroyed and his scouter broke apart. "Wow, not bad, Vegeta. You've got more spunk than I thought."

Up in the air, Burter crossed his arms. "Hey, Recoome, get serious will you. We don't have all day."

"Aww, yer no fun."

A nudge to Burter's side brought his attention to the red-skinned alien. "Hey, Burter, I'm picking something up on my scouter. Twenty degrees west."

"Let me check it out." He zeroed in on the power source and saw that someone or something was coming their way. "Yes, I see it. There are two, but they're very weak. Probably some stray Namekians."

Vegeta couldn't help but overhear what the two were discussing. "Two low power levels?" he repeated. "Coming twenty degrees, west…? Oh no, she wouldn't…"

But his fears were confirmed as Gure came in for a landing, carrying Bulma. "Hey, Vegeta!"

The saiyan prince stomped his foot, cracking the ground. "Woman, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay at the elder's!"

Bulma just glared at him. "I don't take orders from you! And a little gratitude would be appreciated!" She held up a small brown bag. "I did come all the way out here to bring you these."

A blush stained Recoome's cheeks as he looked at Bulma with an unusual look on his face. "Wow, what a cutie."

A vein throbbed in Vegeta's head. "Back off, she's mine."

Recoome's silly expression became slightly disappointed. "A saiyan's whore? Aww, she's damaged goods."

Bulma turned red. "I beg your pardon?" she demanded angrily. "I'm no one's whore, you overgrown creep!"

"Forget about him!" Vegeta snapped. "Just give me one of those beans!"

Bulma humphed. "Fine, but you owe me." She tossed him a Senzu bean, then threw one to Tarble too. "Here, you look like you could use one too."

Tarble caught the bean. "Thanks, but Gohan's the one that really needs it."

"I'm on it."

Up in the sky, Burter and Jeice watched in confusion. "What's going on?" the former asked.

"You got me, mate."

Vegeta ate the Senzu bean and waited a few seconds. In no time at all, he was feeling good as new and stronger than ever. Recoome's mouth dropped open and his gaze shifted towards Bulma again as she stuck a bean in Gohan's mouth. A few moments later, the boy was on his feet again, completely healed.

"Did you see that?" Jeice asked in disbelief.

"Some kind of magic medicine." Burter replied. He zeroed in on the small brown bag in Bulma's hand. "I'll take care of that."

Taking aim, he shot a beam of energy. Bulma cried out and dropped the bag as it burst into flames.

"Wha-What happened?" Bulma cried.

The movement may have been too fast for her, but Vegeta had seen the sudden attack. Now what the hell were they supposed to do? Their chances of beating Frieza were already slim to none, but without the Senzu beans their chances were practically nonexistent.

"Stupid woman." He mumbled, unjustly blaming her. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I can answer that." Recoome told him. "You can go ahead and die."

Vegeta glared at him. "I'm no longer in any mood for you or your friends."

He vanished, reappearing in front of Recoome. Grabbing the giant's head, he slammed his knee directly into the Ginyu's face. Keeping a firm grip, he did it again and again, repeatedly driving his knee into Recoome's face. He heard the giant's nose break against his knee, but didn't let up, not even when Recoome dropped to his knees.

Bringing his knee up one last time, Vegeta finally released the large man. Recoome fell backwards, his eyes crossed and nose shattered. A few incoherent words escaped his mouth, but he was completely out of it.

Looking disgusted, Vegeta lifted Recoome up by his hair just as the giant had done to him earlier. Once he got Recoome standing again, he delivered a powerful kick to the side of his head. There was a sick snapping noise as Recoome's neck broke, his head turning completely around.

Releasing the large man, Vegeta watched his body fall to the ground, then he spit on his corpse. "Good riddance."

Up in the sky, Jeice and Burter looked on with shocked looks on their faces.

"W-What just happened?" Jeice asked. "He just took Recoome out like he was nothing."

Burter growled. "It's that damn saiyan ability to become stronger after a battle. He and Recoome seemed to be nearly even in strength when they first started, but after that beating Vegeta took and then that sudden recovery, it seems like he got strong enough to beat Recoome."

Jeice looked nervous. "Recoome was the strongest out of all of use after the captain. Do you think we'll be able to win?"

Burter grinned. "Not to worry. Vegeta may have gotten a power increase, but I think it was more of luck that he won. He managed to surprise Recoome and get in several good hits and didn't let up. We won't let him get that opportunity again."

Feeling more confident, Jeice grinned. "Yeah, good point. But what do you say we take him together. He won't stand a chance."

Burter smirked. "Sounds good to me."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Several miles away, Frieza was ecstatic. Ginyu had just arrived with all seven Dragon Balls. Immortality was within his grasp. He didn't know why he hadn't summoned the Ginyu Force to begin with. It would have saved him a lot of time and a lot of aggravation.

"Such a glorious sight, isn't it?" Frieza asked. "All seven Dragon Balls. Finally I'll be able to become immortal and take my rightful place as the eternal ruler of this universe."

"No one deserves it more than you." Ginyu told him. "It's an honor to have been of service to you, Lord Frieza. Allow me to show you how happy I am by performing the Dance of Joy."

The dance of what? Had he heard correctly? Feeling embarrassed, Frieza looked up at his top soldier to see him performing highly unusual dance moves. Why did his best man have to be completely insane?

"Um, Ginyu, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this underway."

The captain blinked. "Oh, yes, of course, Lord Frieza. By all means."

Grinning, Frieza held up his hands. "I, Lord Frieza, have collected all seven Dragon Balls! I command you to come forth, eternal dragon, to grant my wish! Make me immortal!"

Both stared at the Dragon Balls, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. The Dragon Balls remained where they were, unmoving. After a full minute had passed, the two aliens seemed to realize something was wrong.

"What's this?" Frieza demanded angrily. "Why isn't anything happening?"

Ginyu glanced at his master curiously. "Maybe it already worked. Should I try and kill you to see if it did?"

"No, you idiot!" Frieza shouted. "Something is wrong here. My sources told me that after collecting all seven Dragon Balls that the eternal dragon would rise to grant my wish. No dragon, no wish, but why not?"

Something suddenly occurred to the captain. "Um, Lord Frieza, just out of curiosity, how did you learn about the Dragon Balls? What are these sources?"

"That's not important right now!" Frieza snapped. "I believe my sources are reliable, and all evidence from my search for these stupid balls point to them being correct. We must be missing something. But what is it? A password, rearranging the balls in a certain order, a time to summon the dragon, a place, a person, what is it?"

He felt the sudden urge to kill someone. The mere fact that Ginyu was his best man was the only thing that prevented Frieza from lashing out at him. Now what those stupid Namekians had been telling him made sense. He had been told that even if he collected all seven Dragon Balls that he'd never be able to summon the dragon. There must be something more, something that not even his sources had been aware of.

"Not to worry, Lord Frieza." Ginyu told him. "All we have to do is find some Namekians and torture the information out of them."

Frieza groaned. That could be a problem. He'd had his men kill all the Namekians they encountered after he had gotten the Dragon Balls. There may not be any of the toads left. When they had first came to this planet, he had its inhabitants scanned. There were only about a hundred Namekians left. After all the killing they did, it wouldn't surprise him if they had all been wiped out. He quickly checked his scouter to be sure.

"Hey," Ginyu cried, "maybe Vegeta knows the secret. He did have one of the Dragon Balls when we found him."

Frieza felt slightly relieved. What Ginyu said was true. Perhaps all hope wasn't lost. Maybe Vegeta and his little friends did know. And better yet, his scouter indicated that there were some Namekians left alive.

"Well, there's some good news." Frieza muttered. "Ginyu, I've detected a few of the overgrown amphibians still alive. I'm going to go there myself and force the information out of them. I want you to go and see what you can find out from Vegeta, assuming he's still alive."

Ginyu saluted him. "At once, sir." He glanced at the Dragon Balls. "But what about the Dragon Balls. Should I take them with me."

Frieza shook his head. "No, I won't take the risk of one of them getting stolen. Burying them in front of the ship then go catch up with your men. If Vegeta does know the secret, kill him once you find out and come back here, then contact me right away. I'll see what I can find out from the few remaining toads."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ginyu and Frieza are on the move. Recoome has been defeated, and only Burter and Jeice are left. But now they're out of Senzu beans. Facing Frieza isn't going to be easy now, not that it would have been easy to begin with.)


	27. Red, Blue, and Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Damn it, I have been drawing such a blank for this story. I guess everyone hits a speed bump every now and then, but I REALLY hate writer's blocks. Truthfully, this chapter turned out a little better than I thought it would.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 27: Red, Blue, and Purple**

Jeice and Burter couldn't believe that they ended up on the ground again. Vegeta was making fools out of them. True, Recoome was more powerful than them, but together they were stronger than him. So how could a single saiyan be beating them?

"Ready to call it quits?" Vegeta asked.

Burter glared at him. "How's this for quits!"

He fired a blast of energy, which Vegeta easily deflected. But it had simply been a distraction as both Burter and Jeice went on the attack. With quick maneuvering, Vegeta dodged their punches and kicks, occasionally throwing in a punch of his own. An elbow to Burter's head and a punch to Jeice's gut momentarily stunned the two, giving Vegeta enough time to drop from the sky.

Once they recovered, the two Ginyus attacked the saiyan from opposite sides. Vegeta vanished from where he was standing, and the two ended up punching each other. Momentarily forgetting Vegeta, they rounded on each other furiously.

"Stay out of my way!"

"You got in my way!"

Vegeta snickered as he watched the two of them bicker. It was strange to think that he had once been so afraid of these guys. Yes, Recoome had proven to be a challenge, but these two were no more than a simple workout.

Down on the ground, Jeice held up a hand to silence his partner. "This isn't working. If we're going to do this, we'll need to combine our powers together. Lets use our combo techniques, all right, mate?"

Burter looked up at Vegeta. "Fine. Anything to get rid of that lousy saiyan."

Together, they flew up in the air and took aim. They fired a Continuous Crasher Cannon. Red and blue energy blasts flew at the same, but Vegeta met them with a grin. Bracing himself, he unleashed his energy, creating a barrier around himself. The blasts ricocheted off his shield, crashing into the land around them, coming a little too close for comfort to Bulma and the others.

"Hey!" she shouted angrily. "Vegeta, watch what you're doing!"

"Just stay down!"

"Our cover is being destroyed!"

"You shouldn't have come here anyway!

"Fine, see if I help you again!"

"Get off my back, woman!"

Up in the sky, Jeice and Burter seemed to realize that the only thing their attacks were doing was causing an argument and ceased attacking. They looked at each other and nodded, seeming to read each other's minds. Placing their hands together, they each fired a beam of energy, one red, one blue, in the form of DNA strand.

Vegeta seemed to realize that he wouldn't be able to block this and fired his Galick Gun. It slammed into the other attack, forcing it back. Burter and Jeice broke apart moments before the blast would have struck them.

"Well that didn't work." Jeice muttered.

Burter glanced at him. "Lets use the Purple Spiral Flash."

The red-skinned alien considered this. "Been awhile since we used that one. Alright, lets do it."

Vegeta watched as the two charged a red and blue energy shield around themselves and joined together to create a purple vortex. He smiled, having heard of this technique, but never witnessing it himself. But he didn't have long to observe as a series of purple energy blasts came flying down at him. He smacked them away and flew up towards the two.

Creating his own energy shield, he flew right through the vortex, breaking the two apart, sending Jeice and Burter flying in different directions. They recovered quickly and looked up at Vegeta furiously.

"What's it going to take to beat this guy?" Jeice wondered out loud.

"Why are we even holding back?" Burter asked. "Lets just hit him with the Purple Comet Attack."

Jeice grinned. "Now you're talking my language."

As Jeice built up his Red Magma attack, Burter unleashed his Blue Hurricane. Once again they came together, forming a different purple vortex. Once the attack was ready, the vortex flew at Vegeta at great speed.

Vegeta's eyes widened and he barely missed being struck. But it immediately doubled back, coming at him again. He fired an energy blast, but the speeding vortex knocked it away and kept coming. He managed to avoid it again, but it struck the shoulder blade of his armor, completely disintegrating it. Getting his by this attack was not an option if he wanted to live.

"We got him now." Jeice commented.

"Yes," Burter agreed, "now lets finish him off."

As the vortex doubled back for another attack, Vegeta sensed a powerful energy signal coming closer. And unless he was mistaking, it was Captain Ginyu himself coming to finish things up.

' _Guess it's time to stop fooling around.'_  he decided.

He let Jeice and Burter come closer, waiting for just the right moment as he gathered his energy. When the vortex was right in front of him, he unleashed his Super Big Bang attack. The blast slammed into the vortex, stopping it in its path, and for a few moments, the blast seemed to be trapped between Vegeta and the spiral. But then the blast broke through the spiral, striking both Jeice and Burter. The two cried out as they were blown to pieces from Vegeta's attack.

Down on the ground, Gohan, Tarble, and Gure couldn't believe what they had just seen. Vegata had just single-handedly taken out the Ginyu Force, the most fearsome group of mercenaries in the universe.

Or rather, he had taken out  _most_  of the Ginyu Force. There was still one left, and if what they were sensing was right, the leader of the group would be arriving momentarily.

Appearing on the horizon, the captain made his appearance. Vegeta found the confused look on his face rather amusing when he realized that his men weren't here. But Ginyu continued to search, his eyes finally resting on the fallen form of Recoome. Then his gaze shifted to Vegeta, unable to believe that the saiyan prince had managed to defeat the strongest fighter of the group after him.

"So, I see, you've beaten Recoome," he stated, "but where are the others? Did they fly off somewhere?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Not exactly. They're still here." He motioned to a random area. "Some of them are there." He pointed somewhere else. "There's some more there, and over there, and over there as well. I think there's some over there too, but I could be mistaking. Oh, and some right here."

The look on Ginyu's face was priceless. "What, are you saying, that you beat all of my men?"

"I'm saying, that the only one left of the Ginyu Force is you. If you don't believe me, just check your scouter."

The captain decided to do just that, thinking that Vegeta had to be bluffing, but to his disbelief, he couldn't pick up their power levels anywhere. He detected Frieza, and the Namekians he was going to visit, and he picked up the puny power levels of Vegeta's company, but nothing else.

Vegeta smirked. "By the look on your face, it seems you've realized that I'm not bluffing."

"NO!" Ginyu bellowed, "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST CASE SENARIO POSSIBLE! NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE FAMOUS GINYU FORCE POSE?"

Bulma blinked and glanced at the others. "Um, did he just say what I thought he said?"

"IT'S NEVER GOING TO WORK WITH JUST ME!" the captain continued. He took a moment to regain his composure, then took on his trademark stance. "We are the Ginyu Force!" He hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "Hold on, let me try something else." He cleared his throat and repeated his stance. "I am Captain Ginyu!" A few more seconds passed before he grabbed at his horns in aggravation. "NO, IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME! IT NEEDS BALANCE, SIMETRY, STYLE! WITHOUT THE OTHERS, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK!" His angry gaze landed on Vegeta. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

Bulma continued to look at Ginyu in complete disbelief.  _'Ok, this guy is completely insane. He cares more about his stupid pose than his own men.'_

Vegeta just continued to give the captain that mocking smile of his. "Are you sure you can do it? I did manage to defeat all your men."

Ginyu's fist pounded against his chest. "I am Captain Ginyu, second only in power to Lord Frieza himself."

The saiyan prince laughed. "Oh, that's right. He must have gotten his wish by now. Unless, of course, something came up."

Ginyu gave him a curious look. "So you know. Then you must also know the secret. If you tell me, I may kill you quickly."

Vegeta shrugged. "Sorry, can't help you. I don't know the secret myself. But if it's any consolation, I think know how to find out."

The captain growled. "You had better just tell me everything you know, or else I'll beat it out of you."

Vegeta powered up. "Then lets have at it. First I'll take care of you, then I'll put an end to Frieza once and for all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ginyu may be a psychopath, but you gotta love him. He just cracks me up. Now he's taking on Vegeta. But we all know what Ginyu is capable of. Vegeta doesn't, at least not entirely.)


	28. The Captain vs. The Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It's the start of the battle between Vegeta and Ginyu. We all know how Goku did against the captain, but lets see how Vegeta handles the situation.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 28: The Captain vs. The Prince**

Ginyu charged at Vegeta and swung his fist. Vegeta casually hopped backwards, avoiding the blow. Ginyu blinked, as if he were surprised that he had missed. When he tried again, Vegeta caught his fist, managing to hold it back, and deliver his own punch to Ginyu's face.

The captain stumbled back, looking more confused than hurt, but didn't have time to register what happened as Vegeta sped towards him and slammed his fist into his chest, then followed up by kneeing him in the gut and crashing his fist into his jaw again.

Dazed, Ginyu shook his head and stared at the saiyan in disbelief. "What was that?"

Vegeta chuckled. "That was the start of a beating. What, did you doubt that I really defeated those clowns you call men?" Ginyu's eyes darted over towards the others. Vegeta caught the glance and smiled. "Ah, I see. You thought I had help from them. Well, I would be lying if I said that they didn't get in on the action, but it seems my skills are even greater than what I thought."

Ginyu smirked. "Is that so? Then maybe this could actually get exciting. Show me what you've got!"

He fired a blast of energy. Vegeta vanished from its path and reappeared in the air, flying towards the captain. Ginyu turned towards him and unleashed his Galaxy Dynamite attack, or Parmesan Shower; he hadn't entirely decided what to call it. Vegeta swatted the energy blasts away and shot his own much larger one. Ginyu caught the blast, getting pushed back in the process, his feet leaving deep skid marks in the ground. Gritting his teeth, he sent the blast up and away, then immediately received a kick to the back of the head, slamming face first into the ground.

As Vegeta stood over Ginyu, grinning, the captain suddenly jumped up, delivering a powerful uppercut to Vegeta's chin, knocking him off his feet. Before he even hit the ground, Ginyu grabbed his foot and threw him, then sped after the flying saiyan.

Flying at equal speed to Vegeta's body, Ginyu balled his fists and brought them down. Vegeta smashed straight through the ground. Ginyu laughed and gathered a large ball of energy, throwing it into the crater. He jumped back, avoiding the explosion, then took a moment to admire his handiwork.

"Vegeta, no!" Bulma cried.

Ginyu looked over at her, grinning. "Looks like your prince is toast. I guess it was a fluke that he defeated my men after all. True, he got in a few good blows on me, and they hurt more than I thought they would, but it looks like the better man won." He laughed triumphantly. "And now, to commemorate my victory, I shall perform my victory dance."

He broke out in his unusual ritual of dance, but it was cut short by an explosion of energy from beneath the pile of rocks Vegeta was buried beneath. The saiyan prince emerged from the crater covered in a few cuts and scraps, but otherwise unharmed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ginyu. We're just getting started." His eyes narrowed irritably. "And stop acting like such a child."

And it was true, Ginyu had the mind of a child, a very warped violent child, but a child nevertheless. But that wouldn't stop Vegeta from beating his face in.

With a loud battle cry, Vegeta's power spiked and he charged. Ginyu was so caught off guard by the reading on his scouter that he forgot to defend himself, resulting in getting Vegeta's fist buried in his gut. Vegeta moved fast, suddenly shifting around Ginyu so his back was to the captain's. Reaching back, he grabbed Ginyu's horns and threw him over his head, slamming him on the ground.

As Ginyu grunted in pain, Vegeta dropped down, slamming his elbow into the captain's stomach. Ginyu spat up blood, but managed to lift his arm and punch Vegeta in the face, knocking the saiyan off him.

Flipping over, he lunged at Vegeta, tackling him. Vegeta brought his elbow down on Ginyu's head, causing the captain to lose his grip. But as Vegeta jumped out of Ginyu's grasp, the captain used his Exploding Wave attack.

Vegeta was sent flying in the air. Ginyu flew up after him, grabbing Vegeta's leg with one hand and wrapping his other arm around the saiyan's neck. Vegeta cried out as Ginyu bent his body backwards, attempting the snap his spine.

Careful to avoid his horns, Vegeta repeatedly slammed his elbow onto the captain's head. Ginyu's teeth chattered with each blow until he finally lost his grip and Vegeta got away. He was seriously getting tired of being elbowed. Then again, once Vegeta flew towards him and slammed both feet into his back, getting elbowed didn't seem that bad.

Getting to his feet, he looked around for the saiyan, but Vegeta was moving too fast to see or to be picked up on his scouter. He was becoming frustrated. He didn't want to play Hide-and-Seek, he wanted to fight, to kill.

His attention returned to Vegeta's companions. The saiyan seemed to have a soft spot for them. Maybe he could…

Bulma and the others cried out as Ginyu fired an energy blast at them. Vegeta appeared in front of them and kicked the blast back. Ginuyu's eyes widened as his own attack came speeding back towards him and took to the air to avoid it. He was immediately sent back down again as Vegeta's balled fists slammed into him.

Stopping his momentum, Ginyu managed to land on his feet. Looking up, he saw Vegeta land a few feet away from him. With a snarl, he charged forward, and Vegeta rushed to meet him. The two slammed into each other, locked together.

"You can't beat me, Vegeta." Ginyu told him. "I'm second only to Lord Frieza."

"We'll see about that."

His power slowly began to rise, so did the numbers on Ginyu's scouter as the captain began to lose ground. His disbelief was doubled by the rising numbers and the fact that Vegeta was forcing him back.

"140,000!" he cried. "That's impossible! You can't be that strong!"

"You're right," Vegeta agreed, "I'm stronger!"

His power began rising even more, and he began pushing Ginyu back farther and faster. The captain's disbelief was soon replaced with fear as Vegeta's power level continued to increase.

"150,000! 160,000! 180,000! 210,000! This just can't be!"

As the scouter exploded against his face, his back finally slammed into a rock wall, knocking the wind out of him. Vegeta stepped back and punched the captain in the gut. Ginyu doubled over, clutching his stomach and gasping in pain.

Vegeta glared down at him, a satisfied smile on his face. "Still think you're second only to Frieza?"

Ginyu looked up at him. "How did you become so strong? You were nothing the last time we saw you."

Vegeta folded his arms. "That's because I don't sit around on my fat ass and admire how strong I am once I reach a certain level, unlike you buffoons."

Ginyu smirked. "Oh, but why would I need to become stronger, when you can do it for me?"

Before Vegeta could think about the captain's unusual chose of words, Ginyu raised his fist, gathering all his energy in his hand for a powerful blow. Vegeta braced himself, ready to block or dodge, but instead was shocked as Ginyu punched himself in the chest.

Crying out, Ginyu pulled his fist free from the hole he made in his armor, revealing a dent in his chest and his hand covered in his own blood. Vegeta was at a complete loss. Why the hell had he done that? Ginyu's race didn't have the ability to increase their power after being injured, and there wasn't any way for him to heal himself in the first place. So why would be deliberately damage himself?

"That… hurt more that I thought it would." Ginyu muttered to himself.

"What are you playing at?" Vegeta demanded.

The captain chuckled. "Just wait and see. As a saiyan, I'm sure you can appreciate the ability to transform. My kind is a different method."

He began to power up. Vegeta was clearly suspicious of what the captain was planning, but he detected no threat. Ginyu's stance wasn't one of attack or defense. He just seemed to be powering up without the intent to attack.

"Care to tell me what you're doing?"

Ginyu's grin was sinister. "Just you wait. You're in for a surprise.  _CHANGE NOW!_ "

Ginyu's body began glowing, as did Vegeta's. Something wasn't right. Even though nothing about Ginyu's stance was threatening, there was something that felt wrong about it, and he didn't like the fact that  _both_  their bodies were glowing. That's when he realized that he couldn't move. His body was completely paralyzed. Had this been Ginyu's plan all along?

Then a beam of light shot out of Ginyu's mouth and into Vegeta's. Everything became so bright that he couldn't see, and his entire body went numb. What sort of attack was this?

Then the numbness went away, and a blinding pain flared in his chest. Gasping in pain, he doubled over, clutching the wound that had not been there a moment before. But the pain was nothing compared to the shock he received when he opened his eyes.

He was staring at his own body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: You probably saw that coming, but this time there's no one around who's a match for Ginyu now that he has Vegeta's body. The answer to what's going to happen is actually right in front of you. Lets see who can figure it out.)


	29. New Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I know it's been a really long time since I updated. I got a new job, and it's taken a while to get settled in and trained. But now things have settled down, and I'm back. It may take me a little longer to update than normal, but nothing like this last gap. So, on with the story.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 29: New Arrival**

Vegeta closed his eyes and opened them again. The vision didn't change. He still saw himself floating in the air several feet away. A feeling of dread came over him that had nothing to do with the pain in his chest.

Looking down at the hand that had been pressed against his chest, he saw that it was covered in dark purple blood. It wasn't even his hand. His hand wasn't purple, nor were his nails claw-like as these were.

There was only one explanation. The stories were true. He distinctively remembering hearing once a long time ago that Ginyu had the ability to steal another's body. The idea had seemed ludicrous, and Vegeta had dismissed it as a bogus rumor meant to scare. Now it seemed as if the rumors were true.

"You… bastard…" he grumbled in pain. At least his voice was still the same.

Ginyu, in Vegeta's body, gave him a cocky smirk. "I must admit, if I ever did switch bodies with someone, I never thought it'd be with a saiyan."

"A saiyan's body is too good for you." Vegeta snarled.

Ginyu chuckled. "Yeah, well, this much power is too good for a saiyan. I'll put it too much better use."

"Coward."

"It's not cowardly to be strategic." He held up his hand. "Lets test this body out."

He fired an energy blast. Vegeta held up his arms to defend himself from the blast. A flash of pain went through his body that had little to do with the attack. And when the smoke cleared, Ginyu was right in front him, bringing his balled fists down on his head, sending Vegeta crashing to the ground.

With a laugh, Ginyu landed close by with a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he looked at Vegeta's fallen form. "Man, this body packs more of a punch than I thought. I love it. Just one more thing to try out." He struck his ridiculous Ginyu pose and held it for a few seconds. "Uch, this must look hideous. I'll have to work on it."

Not understanding the situation, Tarble stepped out from behind the rocks. "Hey, uh, Vegeta, what's going on?"

The captain turned towards the smaller saiyan, an evil mischievous glint in his eyes. It seemed as if Vegeta's companions didn't comprehend what had transpired. "Oh, um, nothing much."

"What was up with that pose?"

"Uh… well, I thought it looked cool when Ginyu did it, so I gave it a shot."

From her hiding spot, Bulma felt her jaw drop. Vegeta had thought that Ginyu's pose had been cool? No, no way in hell. Something was up. Did that strange attack Ginyu had used on him scramble his brains?

As she debated this, the real Vegeta got to his feet. "Tarble, get away from him. He's not me." This obvious didn't tell Tarble anything as the younger saiyan looked at him in confusion. "The stories of him are true!"

Tarble continued to look confused, but then his eyes widened in understanding and he jumped away from Ginyu. "Y-You… you stole his body?"

Disappointment crossed Ginyu's face. "Damn, I was hoping to have some fun with that first."

Bulma blinked. She had heard what Tarble said, and how "Vegeta" had responded, in a voice that wasn't his own, but she was unable to fully process the information. Instead she looked at Gohan, who had gone very pale. "Um, what just happened?"

Gohan gulped. "We heard stories back home that Ginyu had the ability to switch bodies with others. I never thought it was true, but it looks like it is."

Bulma looked at "Vegeta", then at "Ginyu". Switch bodies? Ginyu could switch bodies? Then that attack that Ginyu used that seemed to do nothing… that was…

She felt like she was going to faint. It couldn't be. Vegeta couldn't be that… that… ugly purple freak. She couldn't take it, not with her Vegeta looking like… well, like  _that!_

Ginyu laughed. "Oh, they're true all right. Now lets see how strong I really am!"

Bulma briefly wondered why Ginyu had never stolen Frieza's body if he had such an ability before the captain began to power up. The ground started trembling under his might as a powerful aura surrounded the captain. If he really did have Vegeta's power, then they were totally screwed.

"Yes, how do you like that!" the captain bellowed. "Feel the ultimate power of the great Captain Ginyu!"

Wincing in pain, Vegeta studied Ginyu carefully. The captain had seemed to stop powering up and was merely maintaining the level he was at now. The ultimate power? No way. Vegeta knew for a fact that his body held far greater power than what the captain had just summoned.

' _He_ _doesn'_ _t_ _know_ _how_ _my_ _body_ _works!_ _'_  he realized.  _'_ _Even_ _though_ _Ginyu_ _had_ _taken_ _over_ _my_ _body,_ _he_ _can_ _'_ _t_ _control_ _it_ _like_ _he_ _did_ _with_ _his_ _old_ _one._ _And_ _because_ _he_ _can_ _'_ _t_ _sense_ _power_ _levels,_ _he_ _doesn_ _'_ _t_ _know_ _that._ _'_

Perhaps there was still a chance to win. If, and that was a big  _if_ , he, Tarble, and Gohan worked together, they would be able to overpower him. But that hope quickly vanished as his saiyan ego told him that even at a fraction of his body's power that they wouldn't stand a chance. Especially with this wound Ginyu had self-inflicted. It wasn't life threatening, but it hurt like hell, and it made moving around difficult. It was also safe to say that if Ginyu couldn't access the true power of his body, then Vegeta wouldn't be able to access the full power of the captain's.

"Now then," said Ginyu, "which one of you wants to die first?"

Ever the coward, Tarble backed away. Gohan, even though he was equally as terrified, stepped forward. "Y-You keep away from us."

Ginyu laughed. "Oh really? And just what are you going to do if I don't?"

In answer, Gohan flew at the captain, throwing a punch. Ginyu easily sidestepped him and buried his own fist in Gohan's gut, then kicked him back over to the others.

"Don't tell me that was your best shot." He mocked. "What a shame. If that's all you got, then this isn't even a challenge for me anymore. He held up his hand, gathering energy to blast the small group. Vegeta stumbled forward, falling flat on his face. Ginyu glanced at him and snickered. "I'll get to you in a minute. I want to take my time with you."

A chuckle escaped Vegeta as he looked up at the captain. "I don't think so. You have more enemies here than you think." His grin widened at the confused look on the captain's face. "You may have my body, but you don't know how to use. That includes knowing how to sense the energy signatures of others." He nodded to the left. "Just look over there."

Ginyu did so and saw someone speeding towards them. It looked to be a Namekian. So, there was still at least one more still alive. Not that it mattered. Upon arriving on the planet, he had checked the power levels of the occupants. No Namkeian would stand even the ghost of a chance against him in his real body, let alone this one.

But he didn't sense what Vegeta was sensing. And as the Namekian came in for a landing, Ginyu had no idea just how strong this warrior was.

"Am I interrupting?" the Namekian asked.

Ginyu smirked. "Actually, you are. I was taking a break of slaughtering your people to clean up this garbage."

The Namekian's hands clenched angrily. "So, you're one of the ones responsible for killing everyone."

The captain shrugged. "Not really. I just got here as requested by Lord Frieza. He and his men were the ones that got to have all the fun."

Gohan glanced at Tarble. "Do you sense that guy's power? It's incredible."

Tarble nodded in agreement. "He definitely wasn't on the planet when we arrived."

The Namekian paid the two no mind, his full attention on the captain. "You think murdering my people is fun? When my father summoned me, I knew that he was in trouble, but I didn't realize I would be dealing with someone as sick as you." He reached up at pulled off his hat and cape. They fell to the ground with a mighty  _thud_ , revealing that they were weighted training clothes. "My name is Piccolo, and in the name of all my people that you ruthlessly killed, I will end you, and this Frieza person you speak of."

Ginyu laughed. "You, put an end to Lord Frieza? The idea that you could even defeat me is insulting, let alone you defeating Lord Frieza. Not even your strongest warrior was a match for our weakest."

The Namekian, Piccolo, took a fighting stance. "I  _am_  the strongest Namekian warrior. And the only reason you and this Frieza are still alive is because I was on another planet training. Had I been here, you would have been defeated before even a single Namekian life was lost."

"Pretty big words for a toad. Lets see if you can back them up."

"Gladly!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A little shorter than I wanted, but like I said, I've been very busy. Remember how I said last chapter that there was someone who had been mentioned in a previous chapter that would be able to stand up to Ginyu, well, yes, it's Piccolo. Kami briefly mentioned that he had called for him in chapter 23. The next chapter will have the fight between them. It won't take me over a month to update again, but it may still take me a little longer than it used to.)


	30. Ginyu Goes Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I guess I owe you all an apology for not updating for months. I have a good reason though. I had a family medical emergency. My brother got really sick back in November and had to go to the hospital. I've been so worried about him that I lost all motivation to write. He's all better now and got out of the hospital late last month, so that's a huge relief. Unfortunately, after having not written for so long, I found it hard to get into this story again. I'm trying though, and here's the next chapter. Enjoy it, and once again, I'm sorry for the delay, but family comes first.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 30: Ginyu Goes Down**

Ginyu's eyes widened in surprise as Piccolo sped towards him. He went flying backwards as the Namekian's elbow slammed into his face. Piccolo's arm suddenly extended, grabbing Ginyu's ankle and pulling him back. As his arm retracted, his fist came flying, slamming into Ginyu's jaw.

The captain crashed painfully to the ground, tearing up the rock beneath him as he skidded. His eyes blinked open and he stared up at the Namekian. "Not bad. You surprised me. I must admit that I underestimated you. I thought you were just another worthless toad." He got to his feet, wiping his bloody lip. "But don't get cocky because you got in a couple good hits."

He fired a blast of energy. Piccolo smacked it away, much to Ginyu's surprise, then he charged at the captain. The two broke out in a vicious fistfight. The others watched as the two threw punches and kicks at each other.

"Whoa," Gohan muttered, "this guy's good."

"Yeah, he's actually holding his own against Ginyu." Tarble added. "Does that mean he's as good as my brother?"

Vegeta's fist pounded down on Tarble's head. "Don't be absurd! My power far surpasses that Namekians!"

Tarble rubbed his head. "I just thought… since Ginyu's using your body…"

"Fool." Vegeta grunted. "He may have my body, but he has no idea how to work it. He's only using a small fraction of the power I truly hold. It's his lack of ability to sense power levels that's led him to this. He thinks he's as strong as I am now that he has my body. Truthfully, he'd stand a better chance against the Namekian in his own body."

Gure, who had begun massaging her mate's head to relieve the pain, looked up at Vegeta worriedly. "So, what happens if he manages to kill Ginyui? What will happen to you and your body?"

Vegeta didn't answer, but he didn't need to. He knew exactly what would happen if Ginyu was killed, and so did the others. He'd be trapped in this big purple body for the rest of his life.

"Isn't there some way to reverse this?" Bulma asked. "Because I am  _not_  kissing you while you look like that."

Vegeta's fists clenched in frustration. "There's really nothing to do but wait. Wait and hope that Ginyu attempts to use his body snatching technique again so I cam step in."

As Vegeta and the others discussed this, Ginyu continued to take a beating. He didn't understand how this could be happening. First he runs into a saiyan that's stronger than he is, now a Namekian who's even stronger than the saiyan. How could this be? He was supposed to be the strongest person in the universe after Frieza.

" _Masenko!"_  Piccolo cried.

Ginyu was blown away by an energy blast. He slammed into a rock wall, then had Piccolo's fist collide with his gut. But the Namekian didn't give him a chance to recover as he began unleashing a series of punches to the captain's stomach. After a particularly powerful punch, he doubled over, and Piccolo's elbow came crashing down on his head, knocking him to the ground.

Vegeta winced as he watched Ginyu receive blow after painful blow. Even though he wasn't the one fighting, it was downright humiliating to see his own body getting beaten up so easily. But there was nothing to be done about it now. This Namekian was their only hope for survival. That too was a major blow to his pride.

Struggling to get up, Ginyu spat out a mouthful of blood. How could he be losing so badly? Could this Namekian really be this strong? He may even be able to stand up to Frieza.

No, that couldn't happen. He would find a way to win this fight if it was the last thing he did.

"Damn toad. You'll pay for this."

"You can barely stand up." Piccolo told him coldly. "I should put you out of your misery, but after what you did to my people, I'm not going to let you off that easily."

"You say that as if you've already won." Ginyu grumbled. "This fight isn't over yet!"

He spun around, throwing a punch. Piccolo easily avoided it. His hand shot out, grabbing Ginyu's extended arm. The captain was going for a ride. Piccolo spun him around and around, then released him. As Ginyu spun through the air, Piccolo opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of energy. Ginyu saw it coming and held up his arms to defend himself. The blast hit, not doing too much damage, but Piccolo suddenly appeared above him. Ginyu's eyes widened as Piccolo balled his fists and sent him crashing to the ground.

' _That's it! I've had enough! This toad's body is mine!'_

But before he could even rise from the ground, he was hit by a barrage of energy blasts. Piccolo hovered in the air over him, firing blast after blast at the fallen captain.

"Oh no!" Tarble cried. "He's going to destroy your body!"

But he didn't need to worry. An explosion of energy erupted from where Ginyu had fallen, coming from the captain. He jumped out of the crater and turned towards the Namekian, breathing heavily.

Piccolo calmly came in for a landing, touching the ground a few meters away. "So you still have some power left. I'll have to do something about that."

Ginyu grinned. "Yes, I still have some power left." He raised his arms, getting into position to use his body swapping technique. "Enough to do this!"

" _Special Beam Cannon!"_

Piccolo unleashed one of his strongest attacks. Ginyu gasped, in shock just before the attack slammed into his unprotected gut. He went flying backwards, slamming into the rock wall with enough force to leave a deep indentation. His arms and his legs remained stretched out as he remained stuck to the wall, but he seemed to be unconscious, or possibly even dead.

Piccolo lowered his hand. The captain wouldn't be recovering from that any time soon. He took a moment to look at the bystanders. He didn't know who these people were, but he sensed no hostility from them. Well, he sensed some from the purple one, but he was wounded and wouldn't stand a chance.

"And who are you?" he demanded. "Are you with him?"

Bulma glanced at Ginyu in Vegeta's body. "Well, um, technically, no, but…"

Ginyu's eyes snapped open. This was perfect. He was still in position to perform his technique, and the Namekian was right in front of him with his head turned away.

" _CHANGE NOW!"_

Piccolo's head snapped in his direction, but it was too late. Ginyu's technique had already been unleashed. There was a blinding flash of light, and Ginyu felt the sensation of his soul being ripped from his body, followed by the feeling of being dragged by an unseen force. When he felt his soul settle into his new body, a blinding pain flashed through his chest. Crying out, he fell to his knees, clutching at his chest. He felt a warm sticky fluid coating his fingers. Blood.

"What the hell?" he grumbled.

Forcing down the pain, he looked up and saw the Namekian standing over him with a surprised look on his face. A chill ran down Ginyu's spine as he looked in the other direction. Vegeta's body was still stuck to the rock wall. If Vegeta's body was over there, and the Namekian's body was over here, that meant the body he was in was…

"Oh, shit…"

He looked up fearfully at the Namekian, put Piccolo's expression didn't show one of hostility. "You saved me." He said to Ginyu. "I felt his power level skyrocket, and then he shot that beam. Intercepting it like that was dangerous; you could have been killed. But I'm glad you're alright."

Ginyu's eyes widened. The Namekian had no idea what happened. Oh, this was too good to be true. "Don't mention it. Just hurry up and kill that guy before he tries something else."

Piccolo's angry gaze settled on Vegeta. "Don't worry. I intend to."

From the rock wall, Vegeta heard the short exchange between the two. Ginyu was going to pin this on him. The Namekian didn't realize their bodies had switched. And in this condition, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

"W-Wait… y-y-you f-fool…" His words came out as inaudible gasps as he struggled to get his aching body moving.

"No more fooling around." Piccolo growled. "It's time to put an end to this."

And then he charged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A smart move on Ginyu's part. Vegeta can't defend himself, and Piccolo thinks he's the enemy. Tune in next time to see what happens. I'll really try to get back into this story again. At the very least, I won't abandon it.)


	31. The Old Switcheroo, Times Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I really need to stop writing multiple stories at once. It makes the gaps between updates too long. I've worked out a system for now, but I'll have to be more responsible about publishing fics in the future; I hate disappointing my fans.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 31: The Old Switcheroo, Times Two**

"Dende, come here, my child." said Guru.

The Namekian child hurried to his great-many-times-over grandfather. "Honorable elder, what is it?"

Guru coughed. "I'm sorry, child, but I must ask you to do something for me. Something very dangerous. I hate to put you in harm's way, but you must help our saiyan friends. It's a matter of life and death."

"Anything, elder." Dende exclaimed. "Tell me what you want me to do."

Guru smiled and patted the boy's head. "Such a good boy you are. Now, listen closely, as we speak, the enemy is on his way here to discover the password to unleash the eternal dragon."

Dende gasped. "Oh no! We can't let him figure out the password."

"Agreed." Guru replied. "I have no intention of telling him, but under torture, even the most noble of us may surrender our greatest secrets, no matter how much we need to keep them. Our only hope is to summon the dragon before him. You must go to our friends and tell them the password. Once they make their wish, perhaps that will give them the advantage they need to defeat this Frieza character. Even if they fall, it will at least prevent Frieza from obtaining immortality. Do you understand?"

The Namekian child nodded. "Yes, elder, I understand."

"Good, then you must go now before Freiza arrives."

"But what about you?"

Kami stepped forward. "Do not worry about the elder. I will stay here and see that he is cared for."

"And I will hold Frieza off for as long as I can." Nail added. "You must hurry to our friends."

Tears crept up Dende's eyes as he realized that this might be the last time he saw the three of them. But he knew he had to be strong. Guru was right; Frieza must not get the password.

"Very well, elder. I will do as you ask."

Guru looked sad. "I am sorry I must place this burden on you, dear boy. I should have told them the password while they were here. But after what Vegeta said about the Ginyu force being so powerful, I was afraid they would force the information out of them."

Dende nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, elder. I'll let our friends know."

Without further delay, he took off, heading in the direction he sensed his friends in. Less than a minute after he left the elder's dwelling, he crossed paths with Frieza in midair.

The evil alien glanced over his shoulder as Dende flew by. He had half a mind to go after the little toad, but his scouter said that the ones he was searching for were just up ahead. It would be better to interrogate them. They would be more likely to know the secret to summoning the dragon than a frightened child. Besides, he didn't have time to go chasing after kids.

Coming in for a landing, Frieza settled down outside Guru's home. Nail was waiting for him, standing by the door like a guard. Frieza smirked at him, finding it amusing that this stupid toad thought that he could stand up to him.

"You're not welcome here." Nail told him.

Frieza chuckled. "On the contrary, I've claimed this planet as my own. I can go anywhere I wish."

"A planet can't be owned by one person." Nail snapped. "It belongs to everyone living on it. All living things call a planet their home, and no one can claim ownership."

Frieza looked amused. "Well, then all I would have to do is exterminate what remaining few of you there are, then the planet will completely be mine." His crossed his arms and gave Nail a pointed look. "However, I need to keep at least one of you alive long enough to tell me what I want to know. You see, I'm in a bit of a predicament. I've acquired quite a collection of Dragon Balls, and my sources tell me that a dragon comes with every seven, but I'm having a little trouble obtaining my prize. Would you be so kind as to tell me how to summon the dragon?"

Nail glared at him. "I'd take my own life before telling you."

Frieza frowned. "Is that so. Big words from a tough Namekian warrior." He looked at the house. "Well, if you won't tell me, perhaps someone in there will. I can be quite persuasive."

"You dare not hurt the elder!" Nail cried. "It was he that created the Dragon Balls. If anything happens to him, the Dragon Balls will become useless."

Frieza's frown deepened. "Is that so?" He checked his scouter. "It seems that someone else is in there with him. A friend of the elder's perhaps."

"The elder's brother." Nail replied.

Frieza's face lit up. "Oh, even better. Well, if I can't harm your elder, then perhaps I'll torture his brother until you or one of them tells me what I want to know."

Nail held out his arms to block the doorway. "You won't lay a finger on either of them as long as I'm standing here."

An evil grin crept up Frieza's face. "I hoped you'd say that."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Vegeta was unable to defend himself as Piccolo charged at him. Ginyu watched a short distance away, grinning. The Namekian raised his hand, ready to deal a killing blow.

"NO!"

With great speed, Gohan threw himself in between Piccolo and Vegeta. The Namekian's hand stopped an inch from slashing through the boy.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing, kid? Get out of the way!"

"Please, Mr. Piccolo, listen to me!" Gohan cried. "Vegeta is not your enemy!"

"What?"

"You've been tricked. It's Ginyu. He's the bad guy. He's a body-snatcher."

The Namekian looked confused. "Body-snatcher?"

He took a moment to consider the boy's words. He remembered his opponent screaming "Change now", and then unleashing that strange attack. The purple alien had intercepted the attack, and then encouraged him to quickly kill his opponent. If his opponent was a body-snatcher, and that strange attack had been an attempt to steal his body, then that meant…

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he turned towards Ginyu. Anger and fear twisted the captain's face as he felt Piccolo's fury come down upon him in waves.

' _That little brat! If only he hadn't opened his big mouth!'_

"Now I get it." Piccolo grumbled. "That was a good try, but it looks like you're luck ran out."

Ginyu took a step backwards. "C-Come on, you don't really believe that kid, do you? He must have hit his head and become delusional, or something. I mean, body-snatching, that's impossible."

Piccolo cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry, I believe you."

Ginyu didn't even see the punch coming. He went down, cursing, as Piccolo turned his attack on him. He tried to fight back, but the pain in his chest slowed him down and drained his power. There was no way he'd be able to win, not with his body in this condition.

A cruel smile crept up his face.

Bulma, Tarble, and Gure hurried over to Vegeta and helped to peel him off the rock wall. The saiyan prince collapsed to the ground. He looked to be in bad shape.

"Are you ok?" Tarble asked.

"Moron!" Vegeta snapped. "Do I look ok to you? Damn that Ginyu. It hurts my pride to think I was reduced to this state, even if it wasn't me in my body at the time."

Bulma smiled, feeling tears of joy threatening to fall. "At least you're back to normal. You were just plain hideous in Ginyu's body."

"Don't patronize me, woman!" Vegeta snarled. "Just give me one of those damn beans so I can teach that miserable captain a lesson."

Her face fell. "We don't have anymore."

Anger twisted Vegeta's features. "You got to be kidding me. I've been reduced to a bystander."

He looked back at the battle. Ginyu was still taking a beating. He barely fought back as Piccolo landed blow after blow. At first Vegeta thought that Ginyu was too hurt to fight back, but then he saw that cunning smile on the captain's face and he realized what was really going on.

"Oh, no. Not that."

Tarble blinked. "What? What's wrong?"

Vegeta struggled to get up, but was unable to summon up the strength. "Ginyu's losing on purpose. He's going to try and steal the Namekian's body. If he does, we're finished."

Everyone's eyes widened. They immediately turned away from Vegeta and began shouting and waving their arms at the two combatants.

"He can't hear us." Gohan realized. "We have to go up there and warn him."

He and Tarble took off. Ginyu noticed them approaching and dropped his defenseless act long enough to fire a blast of energy at them. Gohan and Tarble were knocked out of the sky and went crashing to the ground.

"Stay out of this!" Piccolo shouted, delivering a blow to Ginyu's gut.

Down on the ground, Gohan stumbled to his feet. "We have to warn him, but Ginyu won't let us get close." He cupped his hands over his mouth. "Mr. Piccolo, he's faking it! He's going to try and steal your body!"

Piccolo managed to hear a bit of what the boy had shouted. "What?"

' _Now!'_  Ginyu thought, noticing the Namekian was distracted.

He dropped his act again and delivered a powerful blow to the Namekian's head. Piccolo had turned back to him in just enough time to see the captain's large purple fist before it slammed into his face.

With the Namekian dazed, Ginyu moved back a distance and got into position.  _"CHANGE NOW!"_

Piccolo could have avoided the attack if he wanted to, but he found his body to be immobilized. He was trapped.

"No." Vegeta muttered. "No, no, no, damn it, no!"

He punched the ground, cracking it open. An alien frog suddenly jumped out of the crack, having been disturbed from its underground hiding place. Vegeta looked at the frog, and then up at Ginyu, a plan quickly forming in his head. Grabbing hold of the frog, he threw it with all his might up at the captain.

A beam of light shot out of Ginyu's mouth, heading right for the immobilized Piccolo. Just before the beam hit, a small green object flew in front of him. The beam struck it, holding it in midair in front of Piccolo, but with the light's intensity, he couldn't see what it was.

Ginyu did. The light was less intense on his side. And as his soul was extracted from his body, he saw what had crossed paths with his attack, and his eyes widened in horror.

The light vanished, and two figures fell from the sky, one big and purple, the other small and green. The large purple one landed like a cat and got into a position one would get in when they played Leapfrog. With a blank look on his face, he opened his mouth and made an unusual croaking sound. Then he hoped away like a frog would, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A little predictable, but not entirely the same as what happened in the series. Now that all the henchmen are out of the way, we can finally get down to the main event.)


	32. Find the Dragon Balls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I've got absolutely nothing to say today, so here's the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 32: Find the Dragon Balls**

Piccolo blinked in surprise as he watched Ginyu hop away. He had no idea what happened, but he had obviously been saved by someone. And the only other people around were the saiyans and their females.

He came in for a landing next to them, taking note of the humorous smirk on Vegeta's face. He concluded that it was this one that had saved him, otherwise he wouldn't be smiling like that.

"Hey, care to tell what just happened?" he asked.

Vegeta snickered. "Just meddled with Ginyu's plans a bit. He's more closely related to you now."

"What?" Piccolo would have been insulted had he understood the joke, but he looked in the direction Vegeta was looking in and saw a frog. Only this frog, rather than hopping, was trying its best to tiptoe away.

Then he recalled what the boy said about Ginyu being a body-snatcher. The words "Change Now" that Ginyu had shouted suddenly made sense. He had been attempting to steal his body. If this saiyan interfered, then that meant…

He couldn't hide the look of shock from his face. "Y-You're kidding! You're saying that frog is… is…"

Vegeta smirked. "The once mighty captain." He forced himself away from Tarble and Gohan, who had been supporting him. "And now to put an end to him once and for all." He began walking towards the frog. "Hey, Ginyu!"

The frog froze, a visible shiver running through it. Slowly it turned to look at the saiyan prince, beads of sweat running down its slimy skin. Vegeta was walking towards him with a purpose, one that was obvious, but made entirely clear at his next words.

"It's frog stomping time."

Ginyu shrieked the best he could as a frog and began hopping away as fast as he could. It was nowhere near fast enough, not even with Vegeta being as beat up as he was. He soon felt the saiyan prince's foot press down on his back, pinning him to ground.

"Gosh," said Gohan, watching the scene, "I sort of feel bad for him."

"I know what you mean." Tarble agreed. "Ginyu was a bad guy, but being stuck like that is punishment enough."

Vegeta couldn't help but agree and removed his foot. "Yeah, I suppose I'll let him go, but only because I find the idea of him hopping around like that so funny."

Ginyu wasted no time in hopping away before the prince changed his mind. But Vegeta had his own problems to deal with. Now that the danger was over and the adrenaline was wearing off, the full impact of the damage done to his body hit him, making him drop to his knees.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried, running to his side. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to get him to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Vegeta brushed her off. "I'll be fine. Once I recover I'll be stronger than ever."

Bulma rolled her eyes. If he could still talk like this, then he'd be fine. "Ok, so what do we do now?"

He glanced at her. "What do you mean, what now? Ginyu came to find out how to summon the dragon. That means that Frieza hasn't had his wish granted yet. So what we have to do is steal the Dragon Balls back."

Piccolo was instantly on guard. "The Dragon Balls? How do you know about them?"

It was Gohan that answered. "Um, the elder explained everything to us, sir. We're working together to try and beat Frieza."

Piccolo looked in the direction he sensed that monstrous power coming from. "That's that really powerful energy I felt earlier. It seems like he's on the moved." A moment passed and his eyes widened in horror. "No, he's at the elder's."

Gure gasped. "He must be trying to find out how to summon the dragon."

Vegeta tried to stand up. "And he'll have the Dragon Balls with him. So we go after him." His strength gave out and he fell to his knees again.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere." Bulma told him as she rummaged around in her bag. "Just give me a second to check something."

She pulled out a circular device. Vegeta glanced at it. "What's that?"

"I told you," she replied. "It's the Dragon Radar I invented. I scanned the Dragon Ball back at Guru's to get a sample. Now to see if it works." She pressed the button at the top and a beeping noise was heard. "All right, it really does!" She sighed dreamily. "Sometimes I amaze even myself. Hmm, but that's strange." She looked at Piccolo. "Hey, big guy, you're sure that Frieza is at Guru's?"

Piccolo nodded. "If that incredible power belongs to Frieza, then yes. He's fighting with someone."

Bulma beamed. "Well then he doesn't have the Dragon Balls with him after all."

"What?" Vegeta cried. "Are you sure?"

Bulma nodded, looking at the radar. "Yup, they're not moving, and they're all in one place, and it's not where Guru is."

"Then Frieza must have hid them back at his ship." Tarble concluded.

Vegeta smirked. "Excellent. We'll steal the Dragon Balls from him, and while we're there, I can heal myself in one of the ship's healing chambers."

"But wait." Said Gohan. "He wouldn't just leave them unguarded. There's got to be some of his men there."

Vegeta chuckled. "I don't sense anyone there, and even if there were, I could still take them out, even in this condition."

"Sure you could." Bulma muttered sarcastically.  _'The guy can't even stand on his own, let alone fight. That saiyan arrogance can be a real pain.'_

"Then we should probably go now while he's away." Tarble suggested. "We'll never be able to get them away from him otherwise."

Gohan looked up at the Namekian. "Mr. Piccolo, will you come with us?" He didn't know why, but he felt a certain fondness to this big green man.

"Sorry, kid," Piccolo replied, "but I'm going to try and stop this Frieza person. From the feel of things, whoever is fighting him isn't going to last much longer."

Bulma nodded. "Ok, you try and stop Frieza, or at least slow him down, while we get the Dragon Balls. That way, even if he finds out the secret, he still won't be able to make his wish."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Frieza was actually impressed at how well this Namekian was holding up. He was certainly a glutton for punishment. He'd broken the Namekian's bones and ripped off limbs more times than he could remember, but the stubborn toad simply regenerated and came back for more.

But regeneration or not, the Namekian was nearly out of steam. He was gravely wounded, his body spent, his energy nearly depleted. How much more could the guy take?

"As much as I enjoy giving a good beating, I must admit that this is getting a little dull." Frieza told him. "Why don't you just make it easier on yourself and tell me what I want to know?"

Breathing heavily, Nail just stared at him for a moment before he began chuckling. "You know, even though my body is in pain, I think I'm enjoying this more than you are. You're just a spoiled bully with a lot of power who's used to getting what he wants. It's rather amusing seeing you get so frustrated over being denied what you want."

Frieza growled. Yes, he was getting angry over the Namekian's refusal to speak, and the fact that the overgrown toad was enjoying seeing him upset was aggravating him even more.

Lightning fast, he appeared in front of the Namekian, floating in the air. His hand shot out, wrapping tightly around Nail's neck, and lifted him in the air. "You're far too cheeky. I would advice against pushing me too far. I've already decided to kill you, but how fast and how painful it will be is up to whether or not you'll cooperate. So start talking."

Instead, Nail spat a mouthful of blood on him. It took Freiza a moment to get over the shock of this display of defiance, but rage soon twisted his features. His fist slammed into the Namekian's gut, and his elbow came down on his head. Nail went down, and Frieza's foot stomped on his back, crushing his spin. His regenerative abilities will heal the damage, but it still hurt like hell.

"I'm done playing games." He told the fallen warrior, kicking him onto his back. "If you don't start talking, then I'll rip off your head, and we'll see if you can grow that back."

Nail smirked. Go ahead and try it. Just keep in mind that if I die, you'll never find out what you want."

Frieza's anger seemed to dissipate some and he chuckled. "Don't be so sure. Remember there are still two more of your friends inside. I know I can't harm the elder, but his brother is fair game. And unlike you, he's so old that he can't defend himself. I'll torture him slowly. I'll drag it out for days if I have to until I'm told how to summon the dragon. You can spare him this fate, and ease your own passing, if you'll just give up the information I need. And if he still won't talk," he grinned, "I'm sure I'll be able to find that child that escaped. Let's see if the kid's screams of pain can loosen the elder's tongue."

Nail growled. "You're despicable."

Frieza raised his hand to strike. "And you're dead."

"Stop!"

It was Kami. He emerged from Guru's house with tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. He couldn't bear to let Nail suffer anymore. The purpose of Nail fighting Frieza was to give Dende a chance to escape and tell the saiyans the secret to summoning the eternal dragon. Enough time had gone by. Kami could feel how far away Dende was and that he was near the saiyans.

Frieza lowered his arm. "Finally, someone willing to talk. I assume it's about the secret to using the Dragon Balls."

Kami gave Frieza a cold look. "It doesn't matter now; it's too late. By now Dende will have reached the saiyans and told them the secret."

Shock registered on Frieza's face. "What? Dende? But who's…?" His own words from moments ago refreshed his memory.  _'That child! The one I overlooked! He's going to try and…'_  The full impact of what he just realized hit him. His chance at immortality was about to be taken away from him. "How could I fall for such an obvious ruse? Mark my words, I'm not finished with you!"

He took off, heading back to his ship. He had to make sure no one touched the Dragon Balls. Ginyu was closer; he would contact him and tell him to make sure to keep them face.

"This is Lord Frieza, come in." he said, pressing a button on his scouter. "Captain, report in right now! Why won't he answer?"

A terrible thought struck him. Could it be possible that Vegeta and his little gang have managed to defeat him? That should be impossible, but he couldn't rule out the possibility. He had to assume the worst and take charge of the situation.

"You better not touch my Dragons Balls, Vegeta, because the only person allowed to make a wish if Frieza!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The showdown is coming up soon. But this time there's no Goku around to help. You won't want to miss the next installment.)


	33. The Eternal Dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this is late. I caught a cold and was out of commission for a while. I'm all better now, and the next chapter is here. I had someone comment how this is a lot like the series, only with Vegeta substituting Goku as the hero. That's just for the time being. After the Frieza Saga, it'll get more original again. I'm only going to do Frieza and one more major villain. Oh, and for this chapter, keep in mind that certain plot elements are different from the actual series. I'm sure you'll know what I mean when you read it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 33: The Eternal Dragon**

"According to the radar, the Dragon Balls are not on the ship." Bulma reported as they wandered around the large ship. "The signal is coming from just outside the ship."

Vegeta looked around, wincing with each step. "I don't see anything, woman. Are you sure that thing is working right?"

Bulma glared at him. "Hey, buster, do not insult my intelligence." She studied the circular device some more. "It says they should be right here, but I don't see anything."

"Look," said Gohan, pointing to the ground beneath her, "it looks like the dirt was disturbed here."

Gure bent down and felt the ground. "He's right. Perhaps Frieza buried the Dragon Balls."

"Well," Vegeta snapped, "what are you waiting for? Start digging."

He fell backwards on his rear end, breathing heavily. Bulma felt bad that he was so hurt, but she couldn't help but smirk. "You're in no condition to give anyone orders. Try saying please."

A vein in the saiyan prince's temple throbbed. "Fine!  _Please_  dig up the Dragon Balls before I blast you all to hell!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Well, it's a start."

They began digging. Soon one Dragon Ball was uncovered, followed by another, and another. But once the fifth ball was dug up, Gohan whirled around, looking into the distance. "Guys, someone's coming!"

The others were instantly on guard. Vegeta struggled to his feet, stumbling the whole time. He was too out of it to properly detect who was coming, only that someone was indeed heading straight for them. If it was Frieza, they were done for. Hell, even if he was at the peak of strength, they'd still be done for.

If he'd had time to recover, then maybe he'd stand a very slight chance. Whenever a saiyan was injured enough that they were brought to the edge of death, they would become that much stronger once they'd recovered. It was an evolutionary trait they had adapted, having evolved from a warrior race.

Whoever was coming was closing in fast. They could see them now. But it wasn't Frieza. It was a Namekian.

"Is that Piccolo?" Tarble asked. "I can't tell."

"I don't see anything." Bulma commented.

"That's because you don't have a warrior's eyes." Vegeta mocked. At least Bulma thought he was mocking her; she wasn't sure.

"Hey!" the newcomer cried, waving their arms.

"It's Dende!" Gohan cheered. The little Namekian came in for a landing. Gohan immediately went to greet his friend. "Good to see you, Dende. How is everything?"

The smile at seeing his friend vanished from Dende's face. "Things are bad. Frieza's at the elder's house. Nail is trying to hold him off, but I don't know how long he'll last."

Gohan rested a reassuring hand on the Namekian's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Mr. Piccolo went to help."

Dende's face lit up. "Piccolo's here? That's great! He'll definitely show Frieza a thing or two."

Vegeta snorted. "Don't count on it." He limped over to the hole they were digging. "We found the Dragon Balls. All seven of them, am I right."

"Yup." Tarble replied, pulling the last one out of the ground. "Here's number seven."

Vegeta smirked. "Good. Once I obtain immortality, not even Frieza can defeat me. I'll keep coming for him until I win."

Dende hesitantly walked over to Vegeta. "Perhaps this will help."

He held up his hands and gold light flowed out of them and over Vegeta. The saiyan prince's eyes widened in surprise as his injuries immediately began to heal at a rapid pace.

"What… are you… doing… to me…?"

Dende remained silent until his job was done. Lowering his arms, he gave the saiyan prince a smile. "I have healing powers. I restored your body and strength."

He did more than that, Vegeta noted. Thanks to his ability to become stronger after such a near death experience, Vegeta was feeling better than ever.

"I suppose you're not completely useless after all." He grunted. Dende took this as the saiyan prince's way of saying thank you. "Now, how about you tell us how to summon the dragon. Or do you not know how?"

Dende pouted irritably. "Yes, I know how, but you could be a little nicer about it."

Vegeta looked like he was ready to hit the young Namekian, so Bulma quickly interfered. "That's great! Then if you'd be so kind as to tell us."

"It requires a password." Dende replied. "But it wouldn't do any good to tell you. It's Namekian, and you wouldn't understand it."

Vegeta was visibly running out of patience. "Then you summon the blasted thing!"

Sighing, Dende walked over to the glowing Dragon Balls. He began speaking in a language that none of the others understood. Once he fell silent, the pulsing light from the seven magic balls began shining brightly. Darkness covered the sky, completely blocking out the sun, and an overwhelming presence was felt.

There was an explosion of light. It erupted from the Dragon Balls, going in a beam straight up. Once it reached a certain height, the light spread outward and began taking shape. The light's intensity became so great that it blinded the others, forcing them to look away.

All at once, the light vanished, and the eternal dragon towered over them. It was colossal in size, several times bigger than any saiyan in their great ape form. It could easily pick up Frieza's ship and throw it like a baseball. It lacked any legs, its lower body being snake-like, its mighty tail getting thicker the closer it got to its upper body. Its torso was more humanoid. Muscle upon muscle made up the dragon's large upper body with lethal looking spikes protruding from certain spots. Though it lacked wings, it hovered in the air as if by magic. Large powerful arms, just as muscular as the rest of its body, hung down at its sides. The head was more of what one would expect a dragon took look like, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

Down on the ground, everyone, even Vegeta, trembled at the sight of the massive beast. "T-T-That's the dra-dra-dragon?" Tarble stuttered.

"Whoa, he's huge." Gohan muttered.

Dende appeared to be the least intimidated. "His name is Porunga. And don't worry, he won't hurt us as long as he don't attack him."

The dragon looked down at them and then spoke in a loud booming voice. "You have collected all seven Dragon Balls! I will now grant you three wishes that are within my power! Speak now, but choice carefully, for they will come true!"

Tarble made a terrified sound. "I think I just soiled myself."

Vegeta finally seemed to find his voice, but it was to Dende that he spoke to. "Three wishes? Did he just say three wishes?"

Dende blinked. "Huh? Oh, um, yes. You get three wishes."

Vegeta's mind began racing. Three wishes. That changed everything. His initial plan had been to obtain immortality so he could beat Frieza. But two additional wishes opened a whole new door of possibilities.

The others waited for Vegeta to say something, but the saiyan prince remained lost in thought. Porunga tapped his fingers against his side impatiently as he waited for their requests.

"Um, excuse me!" he boomed. "Up here please! I said that I was going to grant you three wishes!"

"Give me a damn minute!" Vegeta bellowed.

The dragon blinked in surprise. He looked at the others. "Don't any of you have any wishes? You should have decided what you wanted  _before_  you summoned me!"

Bulma had gotten over her shock at seeing the dragon. Realizing that they were in no danger, she had relaxed considerably. "We're working on it."

Porunga grumbled irritably. "Look, if you can't decide what you want, just say nothing three times so I can go!"

"Great," Tarble muttered, still visibly shaken, "he's got a sense of humor."

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." Bulma told the dragon. "It must be nice to get some fresh air after so long. Besides, you're kind of cute."

Porunga sweat-dropped.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Elsewhere, Frieza had noticed the change in the planet. He'd found out earlier that there was never any night on this world since it had more than one sun. So why was the sky dark all of a sudden.

"I don't like this." He muttered. "What's happened to the sky? How did… Ah, no! They must have summoned the dragon! Those damn saiyan monkeys!"

With a burst of speed, he continued his journey back to his ship.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Vegeta gasped. Whirling around, he looked in the direction the massive amount of energy was coming from. It could only belong to Frieza, and he was heading straight for them.

"It's Frieza." He muttered.

Tarble paled. "F-Frieza's coming? He's on his way here now?"

"It's true." Gohan replied, also looking horrified. "I can sense him. He's coming."

Vegeta quickly turned to the dragon. "Ok, I have my first wish. Restore planet Vegeta back to the way it was before Frieza destroyed it!"

"That won't work." Dende told him. "The dragon will only grant wishes spoken in the Namekian language. It's a safeguard in case anyone who shouldn't manages to summon him."

Vegeta stomped his foot on the ground. "Then you translate for me!"

Dende recoiled from the saiyan prince's wrath. "R-Right. Ok."

He turned to the dragon and began speaking in his native tongue. When he was finished, the dragon's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is a very big wish!" he told them. Seeing their hopeful faces, he sighed and gave them the 'ok' sign with his fingers. "Ok, it shall be done."

His eyes began glowing as he unleashed his power, and somewhere in the universe, fragments of a destroyed planet were sucked together into one large mass. The majority of the planet that had been completely obliterated manifested out of thin air. In a few short moments, planet Vegeta had been reborn, exactly the way it had been before Frieza destroyed it.

Porunga's eyes stopped glowing and he looked down at his summoners again. "It has been done! Planet Vegeta has been restored! Name your second wish!"

Bulma's eyes widened. "Wow, he could really restore a planet, just like that?"

"If Porunga says it's done, then it's done." Dende confirmed, sounded slightly angry that Bulma hadn't taken the dragon's word for it. "Quickly, make your next wish."

"Right." Vegeta agreed. "For the next wish, have the dragon bring back to life everyone on planet Vegeta that was killed by Frieza."

"Bring back everyone Frieza killed." Dende repeated. "I can ask him, but it'll only work on those that died in the past year, and only on those that didn't die a natural death."

Vegeta's fists clenched. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he had been hoping that his mother would be restored as well. But he didn't have time to dwell on that; Frieza was closing in on them. "Then just do what you can."

Dende nodded. "Right." He turned back to the dragon, hesitated, and then turned back to Vegeta. "Would it be all right if I brought back all my people as well?"

"I don't give a damn! Just make the wish!"

Dende winced. "S-Sure." He looked at the dragon and hesitated again. "Oh boy, how should I word this?"

Tarble didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

Dende shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we Namekians don't really believe in bringing the dead back to life. So there's not really a way to say this in my language. I'll try this."

He spoke in the Namekian language again. Confusion flashed across the dragon's face. "I do not understand!"

Dende groaned. "Oh man. Please, dragon, bring back all the people killed by Frieza and his men since he destroyed planet Vegeta."

The dragon growled, almost sounding angry. "Are you aware of what you are asking me?" At Dende's nod, he grumbled and his eyes began glowing. "What you are asking for will take a little time, but it shall be done!"

Vegeta swore. They didn't have  _any_  time. Frieza was closing in on them. Why hadn't he made his wish for immortality first? He could have still made the other two wishes afterwards. He supposed it was due to his responsibility to his people that made him do it.

Time ticked by, each second seeming like an eternity, and at the same time, passing by far too fast as Frieza got closer. From as far away as he was now, he could surely seem the dragon. That would make the alien even more desperate.

"Your wish has been granted!" Porunga finally declared. "Everyone has been brought back! Name your last wish!"

Vegeta wasted no time. "Quick, tell the dragon to make me immortal."

Dende hesitated. "Are you sure? Do you really want to live forever while you watch your family and friends die around you?"

"DON'T LECTURE ME!" Vegeta shouted. "TELL THE DRAGON TO GRANT ME ETERNAL LIFE BEFORE I END YOURS!"

Dende jumped back in fright. He immediately turned to the dragon and began translating.

As Bulma listened to the little Namekian make Vegeta's request, she felt a phantom pain in her heart. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was losing him with this wish. If Vegeta became immortal, time would separate them one day. He'd never die, and she'd be separated from him forever by the barrier separating the world of the living from the world of the dead. She'd never see him again.

She shook her head. What did she care? Vegeta wasn't hers. She didn't care about the creep. He was loud, selfish, stubborn, stuck up, arrogant… cute, brave, passionate, drop-dead sexy…

Before her thoughts could betray her further, something happened. The dragon begun grumbling, and the light from the Dragon Balls began to dim. Dende trailed off from his translation as Porunga's eyes turned from red to black. His body seemed to change from a solid to a gas, and then his form started to break down until he was nothing than a giant green cloud of smoke. When the smoke faded away, the glowing Dragon Balls rose into the air. There was a final flash of light, and the seven magic balls came crashing to the ground. They were nothing more than ordinary stones.

An anguished cry escaped Dende and he fell to his knees, weeping. Vegeta looked from the round stones to the crying Namekian in confusion. He didn't feel any different. Had his wish been granted or not?

"Well," he demanded, "did it work? Am I immortal or not?"

Dende tried to control his tears. "N-No… you're not immortal. It's Guru. The elder's gone. He created the Dragon Balls. Once he dies, the dragon dies with him, and the Dragon Balls become useless."

Vegeta looked ready to kill someone. He took a step towards the Namekian. "You little… if you hadn't wasted time asking me if I was sure about my decision, then maybe…"

He trailed off and the color drained from his face. He wasn't looking at Dende anymore, but at something behind him. The others were looking at whatever it was too. Dende knew what was behind him before he even looked.

"Well," said Frieza coldly, "here we all are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We've finally come down to it. The epic battle between Vegeta and Frieza is about to begin. You're probably wondering how Vegeta will be able to fight when he was so brutally defeated in the series. Just remember that he's a lot stronger than he was during the series thanks to his intense training. It's going to be one awesome fight that will last for a few chapters. If you're a fan of the dialogue and interaction more than the fight scenes, then sorry. The battle will be different, not simply switching Goku with Vegeta during the fight, just like the battle with the Ginyu Force a few chapters back.)


	34. Power Level One Million?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: For those of you that know the series, the battle with Frieza starts now. It was twenty something episodes in the series, but don't worry, it won't be that long here. I'm going to shorten it a lot. It'll still be long, the next three maybe for chapters after this one, but it's sure to be good.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 34: Power Level One Million?**

Vegeta felt his blood run cold. Frieza was here, standing just a few feet away from them, and he had a scowl on his face. His real anger was building up, and when it was unleashed, they were all in big trouble.

"To think," the galactic overlord grumbled, "that a couple of children and some monkeys actually managed to steal my chance for immortality. I'd congratulate you if I wasn't so furious." He hopped down from the hill he'd been standing on and began walking towards them. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been more angry in my entire life."

Vegeta could sense it; Frieza's fury was about to burst. It was going to be a massacre. Yet he couldn't help rubbing it in the alien's face. "Outwitted by a few saiyans, how frustrating it must be to you."

"Oh, it is." Frieza agreed, the veins in his temple throbbing in anger. "But I suppose it's partly my fault for not completely exterminating such a disgusting pest problem."

Vegeta chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid it gets even worse. It turns out that the dragon actually granted three wishes. Two of them were used to restore Planet Vegeta and revive the saiyan race."

Anger and hatred flashed across Frieza's face. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose I'll just have to kill them all over again. And this time, I'll make sure to do it right. And I think I'll start with you!"

Beams of light shot out of his eyes. Vegeta jumped back as the ground exploded in front of him. He knew how powerful Frieza was, but perhaps he could still intimidate him.

"And what makes you think you can kill me?" he asked the alien. "Perhaps I used the third wish to become immortal myself."

Surprise crossed Frieza's face, but it quickly shifted back to anger. "Did you now? Well in that case, I suppose I'll just have to pound you down until you receive enough damage to your head that you end up in a permanent coma. You may not be able to die, but I can still beat you down. I think I'll be able to live with you being an immortal brain dead vegetable for all eternity."

He disappeared. Vegeta whirled around and punched. As soon as Frieza appeared, the saiyan prince's fist slammed into his face, sending him flying backwards. Frieza stopped his momentum and glared at the saiyan prince.

"You've gotten a lot faster, Vegeta. I must admit, I'm impressed. You've really come a long way. Then again, you must have if you were able to defeat the Ginyu Force. At last reading, Guldo had a power level of 19,000, Recoome had one at 71,000, and both Jeice and Burter were at 95,000. Then, of course, there was the dear Captain Ginyu with a power level of 160,000. So I at least know that you're stronger than him. It's quite a shock considering you were always around Cui's level, and his was only 19,080." A cocky grin crept up his face. "But you're way out of your league with me. No matter how strong you've become, you'll never win. Now prepare to face the wrath of Frieza!"

He began to power up. An angry aura surrounded his body as the planet shook under his the force of his energy. He unleashed a mighty battle cry as his power soared to its highest point. Aside from Vegeta, the others looked on in horror as the evil tyrant's power continued to grow.

Frieza laughed as his power reached its peak. "Well, what do you think? This is the power that kept all you saiyan monkeys cowering at my feet all your lives."

Tarble was blue in the face as his scouter revealed Frieza's massive power level. "V-Vegeta, his power level is at 530,000."

The colored drained from Bulma's face. She remembered Tarble telling her that a person with a power level of 300 could destroy a planet. She also remembered him saying that Frieza's power level was 275,000. It was actually more than twice that. It was official. They were going to die.

Surprisingly, Vegeta just smirked. "Is that really all the power you have? I'm disappointed."

Shock and anger flashed across Frieza's face. "What?"

The saiyan prince chuckled. "Maybe that would have frightened me a few weeks ago, but not any longer."

Once he got over his surprise, Frieza smiled. "You can bluff all you want, but it won't change the outcome of this battle."

Vegeta shrugged. "Maybe I'm bluffing, maybe I'm not. Hard to tell."

Frieza prepared to attack. "Then show me your power, monkey!"

The two vanished from sight. They were moving too fast for Bulma to see, but she could certainly hear them. There were loud thundering booms as the two slammed together. Craters formed on the ground in different spots as the two collided in various spots.

"W-What's going on?" she stuttered.

"They're fighting." Gohan told her, his eyes following the movements of the two combatants.

"Vegeta's actually holding his own." Tarble added. "It's incredible."

Bulma felt put out. She wished her vision was sharper so she could follow their movements. She supposed she could learn to see that well if she were trained properly, but she was a scientist, not a warrior.

She glanced at Dende and Gure, wondering if they were able to keep track of the two. "Can you see what's going on?" They both nodded, and Bulma groaned irritably. "I hate you all."

The two fighters suddenly reappeared several feet away, locked together, their power flaring up around them. Both looked determine, but anger was mixed with Frieza's determination as his scouter showed Vegeta's ever increasing power level.

"This is impossible!" he wailed. "No saiyan can have this much strength!"

Vegeta chuckled. "I'm just getting warmed up."

His power rose higher and Frieza's scouter shattered against his face. With an angry cry, he pulled back and jumped away. The two stood apart, glaring at each other.

Gohan was actually beginning to feel hopeful. Seeing Vegeta stand up to Frieza like this, he began to believe that they had a chance. "Do you… Do you think that he can actually win?"

Tarble gulped. "I don't know, but I feel better off now than I did before."

Vegeta smirked. Hearing their praise fed his ego, and his saiyan arrogance got the better of him. "Why don't you transform, Frieza?" he asked, and a look of surprise crossed Frieza's face for a brief moment. "Oh yes, I know all about your ability to transform. Cui told me. Why don't you show us?"

"Cui has a big mouth." Frieza muttered.

A memory surfaced in Bulma's mind. She remembered the purple alien bragging about Frieza's power, how he would become greater than a god once he transformed. Why would Vegeta want to unleash that? Damn that saiyan arrogance of his!

Dende looked confused, looking to the others for answers. "What's he mean, transform?"

Vegeta heard the question and answered. "The form he's in now isn't how he truly is. He just uses it to conserve energy. When he transforms, his true power will be unleashed."

Bulma hesitantly spoke. "Um, are you sure it's a good idea to allow that?"

Vegeta humphed. "You worry too much. His power won't increase that much. And when I take him down, I want him to know that he was at his best."

A sly smile crept up Frieza's face and he chuckled. "Oh, Vegeta, you truly are a fool. While you're right about me being able to transform, I'm afraid you're quite wrong about why. Conserving energy? What nonsense. The truth is that my true power is so great that even I have trouble controlling it." He grinned evilly. "But if you really want to see it, I have no problem showing you. But know this, any chance you may have had at winning just went out the window."

He took a bracing stance. His gaze locked on the saiyan prince. Then a cocky look appeared on his face and he said tauntingly, "I almost forgot, I never transform unless someone gives me a countdown."

Outrage flashed across Vegeta's face at the alien's nerve. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm waiting."

Vegeta resisted the urge to grind his teeth together furiously. "Oh, fine then.  _Ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five-four-three-two-one!_  There, you happy now?"

Frieza smiled. "Immensely."

There was a flash of light and his body began to glow. Bulma squinted to be able to see, but nothing seemed to be happening. Frieza just continued to glow, the only other noticeable changes were that his armor was beginning to crack.

Frieza groaned under the strain of his upcoming transformation. With a mighty cry, his power flashed outward and his armor completely shattered, leaving him in only a pair of skimpy black underwear. His body stopped glowing, but he looked exactly the same, just slightly bigger and a bit more muscular.

"Ah, that's much better." He said.

Vegeta scoffed. "That's it? You grow two inches and you call that a transformation?"

Frieza chuckled. "Oh, Vegeta, you really have no idea of what's coming. The process has merely begun. You're going to wish you had died along with the rest of your pathetic race."

Vegeta crossed his arms, genuinely curious. "Why did you kill them? What provoked you?"

Frieza shrugged. "I had been entertaining the idea for a while now. But it was recently that… an acquaintance of mine made the suggestion. I would have done it eventually anyway. It was only a matter of time before you fools turn against me. I had planned on only keeping you though, and perhaps two others. I was thinking Nappa and Raditz, but it didn't really matter who. I just wanted you, Vegeta. Of course your father wouldn't allow it when I expressed my desire to have you as one of my personal soldiers. That's why I killed your mother. It was a lesson in obedience." He laughed. "And your father actually shed tears as he cradled her lifeless body. He saw things my way after that. I never actually came to collect you though. I always knew you would betray me some day. I guess I was just foolish thinking you monkeys could be tamed."

"Definitely a fool." Vegeta agreed.

Frieza ignored the insult. He felt his transformation about to take place. "Now I've seen the error of my ways. The only thing to do with vermin is exterminate it. I did it once, and I'll do it again. But this time I'll be completely thorough, and I'll start with you!"

He doubled over as he began to change. He began growing, becoming several times his original size. His muscles became much larger, growing along with his body and then some. His horns, which had been pointing outward, curved up like a devil's, and his groaning became deeper as his voice changed. It wasn't just his body; as he promised, his power rose as well. Tarble's scouter exploded as it took in too much energy to continue to function.

Vegeta was caught off guard by the sudden change. He felt the sudden increase in Frieza's power just as much as he saw him change. It definitely went up much higher than he thought it would.

Frieza got back to his feet, now standing several heads higher than the saiyan prince. "Well," he said in a much deeper voice, "are you impressed? Is it everything you hoped for?"

Vegeta swallowed. "Well, it's more than it was before."

Frieza laughed. "Well then, I think I should tell you that when I'm in this form, my power level is over a million."

Looks of shock and disbelief appeared on everyone's faces. Gohan's mouth dropped open and Tarble looked like he was going to faint.

"A m-m-m-million?" the former stuttered.

"Don't believe him!" Vegeta shouted, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. "That's impossible, even for him!"

Bulma decided that she needed to confirm this. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out the scouter she had specially designed and took a reading of Frieza's power. She paled as it gave her a number.

"Vegeta." She squeaked. "He's not bluffing. His power level is 1,700,000."

The saiyan prince whirled around to face her. "That can't be! That thing must be broken! No one can possibly be that powerful!"

Frieza laughed. "Poor Vegeta. I would have thought that you would have learned that there isn't anyone who can stand up to me. I guess I'm going to have to teach you that lesson all over again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I took a real interest in power levels of the characters and did extensive research on everyone in the series. After hours of research, I finally found the most accurate results. Some of you may disagree with what you'll be hearing they are in the upcoming chapters, and others of you may have heard different results. Well, there was certainly a lot of translation mistakes and misinterpretations, but what you'll be seeing from here on out are what I got after looking into it for hours on end. But aside from that, I hope everyone enjoyed this next chapter, and be ready for a looooong fight scene coming up.)


	35. Another Transformation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: At times, I've simply been referring to Frieza as "the alien". Now I realized that, technically, everyone in this story is an alien, even Bulma, depending on the point of view of the character. Anyway, because of this, I've decided to use the fan-name for Frieza's unnamed race, Icejin. Just wanted to let you all know that so there's no confusion.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 35: Another Transformation**

Frieza charged, burying his fist in Vegeta's gut, then bringing it straight up, colliding it with his chin. Vegeta went straight up, and Frieza was suddenly there with him. Doing a flip, he kicked downward, sending the saiyan prince crashing to the ground. And before he could get up, Frieza dropped from the sky, landing on Vegeta's back, ripping a painful cry from the saiyan.

"Sorry, was that too fast for you?" he mocked. "I'll try to make this last a bit longer."

The ground began shaking beneath him as Vegeta's power exploded outward. Frieza half jumped in the air, the explosion throwing him the rest of the way. Vegeta flew up to join him, throwing a punch. Frieza's eyes widened in surprise as Vegeta's fist knocked his head sideways. He then followed up with a series of powerful punches to the stomach.

Frieza grunted and groaned as Vegeta's fists repeatedly collided with him. His hand finally shot out, grabbing Vegeta's fist as he threw another punch. He gave the saiyan a cocky grin. "Not bad. But not good enough."

He head butted Vegeta right in the face, then spun him around by the arm and threw him. He appeared in the saiyan's path, bringing his balled fists down, sending Vegeta crashing to the ground.

Groaning, Vegeta rolled over onto his back. Opening his eyes, he saw Frieza coming down towards him. He quickly got rolled out of the way as Frieza's foot shattered the ground where he had been laying. Jumping up, he slammed his fist into Frieza's jaw. The Icejin stumbled back, and Vegeta used the opportunity to fire an energy blast right into Frieza's gut.

The blast pushed him back, but Frieza was able to grab hold of it and toss it up and away. He was immediately assaulted by Vegeta again when a powerful kick struck the side of his head, sending him crashing into a rock wall. Without giving the Icejin a chance to recover, he unleashed a powerful blast of energy, bringing the entire rock formation down.

Not too far away, the others watched the battle in awe.

"Did you see that?" Tarble asked. "He just gave Frieza a beat down."

Gohan nodded. "I saw, but I don't think it's over yet."

"Not by a long shot." Came Frieza's voice from within the cloud of dust. With a wave of his hand, he caused the cloud to disperse. "That was rather impressive. You're even better than I thought. I wonder how long you'll actually last."

Vegeta may not have looked it, but he felt fearful. He had hoped to have done at least some damage to Frieza, but the evil alien seemed fine.

Frieza charged at him again. Vegeta braced himself, but the Icejin disappeared before they collided. Vegeta immediately sensed him standing behind him, showing off his speed.

Frustrated, Vegeta spun around to deliver a punch, only to receive one himself. And as he went flying backwards, Frieza's tail extended. It wrapped around Vegeta's leg, pulling him back. As he approached, Frieza held up his hand and fired a blast of energy right at him. He once again went flying, but Frieza's tail pulled him back again. He then found himself being tossed around like a rag doll as Frieza's tail slammed him on the hard ground repeatedly.

"Come now, Vegeta, surely you can do better than that."

He slammed him down one final time. Vegeta glared up at him and fired an energy blast, but Frieza easily swatted it aside. Bending down, he lifted the saiyan prince up by the hair, then lashed out again with his tail. Pain exploded in Vegeta's face as Frieza's tail stuck him again and again.

Ignoring the stinging in his face and the pain of having his hair pulled, Vegeta reached out and caught Frieza's tail as it came up to slap him in the face again. He kicked outward, slamming his feet into Frieza's chest.

Frieza grunted, releasing his hair, and Vegeta kicked upward, his foot colliding with Frieza's chin. He went straight up, and Vegeta quickly flew in his path. Doing a summersault, he kicked downward, sending Frieza crashing to the ground.

But the Icejin recovered quickly, and he used the momentum to push off the ground and soared rapidly towards the saiyan prince. He shot straight past him, but his tail wrapped around Vegeta's torso, bringing the prince with him. Chuckling, he kicked downward, his foot slamming into Vegeta's chest. He went down, but Frieza's tail was still wrapped around him, and he was pulled back, only to have the process repeated again and again.

"I must say that I'm really enjoying myself." Frieza admitted as he continued kicking the saiyan prince.

As he continued dishing out his punishment, the others, who moments ago had been amazed at Vegeta's skills, now looked on in horror at what was being down to the saiyan prince.

"We have to help him!" Gohan cried.

Tarble looked at him incredulously. "Are you out of your mind? What can we do? We'll probably last a full five seconds again a monster like that."

"Well we have to do something!"

He was about to fly off when Bulma stopped him. "Hold on!" she said, as her scouter picked up a new reading. "It looks like help is coming."

Up in the sky, Frieza was completely oblivious to this 'help'. As strong as he was, he didn't know how to sense power levels, and didn't know he was under attack until he heard the new arrival unleash an energy blast.

"Special Beam Cannon!"

He looked over his shoulder just in time to see a swirling beam of energy strike him from behind. It was a very powerful blast, and it sent him crashing to the ground. He lost his grip on Vegeta, allowing the prince to escape his grasp, but as he got to his feet, his attention was now on the newcomer.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed, glad to see the Namekian again.

But Piccolo ignored him, his full attention was on Frieza, and he did not look happy. "So, you're Frieza. You've certainly caused a lot of trouble."

Frieza growled as he got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Great, another toad. And where were you hiding? To be able to attack like that makes you very powerful. My scouter should have picked up on someone as strong as you when we first arrived."

Piccolo glared at him. "I was away from home for a while and just got back. Now I'm going to pay you back for all you've done to my people."

He disappeared and reappeared in front of Frieza. The evil alien's head began snapping side to side as the Namekian's fists struck him again and again. Piccolo then reached for Frieza's horns. Grabbing hold, he brought the Icejin's head down, slamming his knee into Frieza's face.

Dazed, Frieza stumbled back, but had no chance to recover as Piccolo kicked him. Frieza went flying backwards, crashing right through his ship, and coming out the other side.

Piccolo appeared above Frieza as he soared through the air. He brought his elbow down on Frieza's chest, and Frieza hit the ground hard enough to create a large crater. That's when energy blasts began raining down on him as Piccolo unleashed a furious storm of blasts on him. Every time Frieza tried to rise, another one knocked him back down.

He didn't understand where this super powerful Namekian could have come from, and apparently, neither could Vegeta. He recognized the Namekain, but the guy hadn't been anywhere near this strong when he last saw him. How could he have gotten so powerful in under twenty minutes?

Gohan was too busy cheering to worry about such things. "Yeah, that's it! Get him, Mr. Piccolo! Show him whose boss."

Tarble, however, had picked up on what his brother sensed. "Hey, don't you think it's a little strange that he's suddenly so strong?"

"It's Nail." Dende replied.

Gure gave him a curious look. "Nail? The one we met at Guru's? But I'm sure that's Piccolo."

"They all look the same to me." Bulma said without thinking. She immediately realized her mistake and covered her mouth, looking at Dende worriedly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by that."

Dende looked up at her. in understanding "That's ok. Except for your hair, you all actually look the same to me too."

Bulma sweat-dropped, sincerely hoping he wasn't serious, although she suspected that he was. But the young Namekian said no more on the subject as he looked back at Piccolo continuing to unleash energy blast after energy blast on Frieza.

"We Namekian's have a special ability." He explained. "We have the power to merge with each other."

"Merge?" Vegeta repeated.

Dende nodded. "We Namekian's can unite with one another. Piccolo must have absorbed Nail."

Which explained why the guy was so much stronger now, Vegeta noted, feeling irritated that the Namekian was now apparently stronger than him now.

Piccolo continued his onslaught of energy blasts before finally firing an extra powerful one, creating a massive explosion. He remained hovering in the air, breathing heavily as he waited for the smoke to clear. But before it did, Frieza came flying out of the hole Piccolo's attacks had created. He looked more angry than hurt.

"You damned toad! How dare you do this to me!"

Piccolo smirked, knowing it would infuriate the Icejin further. "This is only the beginning. I'm going to make sure you pay for all the innocent lives you've destroyed."

Frieza continued fuming, but then he relaxed and smiled. "Yes, this  _is_  just the beginning. But I'm afraid it's the end for you." He glanced at the saiyan prince. "Vegeta, Cui was right about my ability to transform, but what he didn't know was that I have more than one form."

"What?" Vegeta gasped.

Frieza chuckled. "That's right. Not even this form is my real form or real power. If you think I'm tough now, then wait until you see this."

His body tensed as he began his second transformation. This one was very different from his last, changing the shape of his body rather than just the size and mass. His back bent forward in a bit of a hunch as large spikes grew out of it and his head got longer, becoming long and gourd-shaped with spikes sticking out. Lastly, his shoulders protruded outward and his face elongated, becoming more reptile-like.

Frieza let out a sigh of content. "Well, how do you like me now?" he asked, his voice sounding like a cross between his first and second forms. "I may not win any beauty pageants, but I'll wipe the floor with you."

Upon seeing this new transformation, the others were feeling rather intimidated. The one who looked the most nervous of all was Bulma as the scouter displayed his power level.

Gohan noticed how frightened Bulma looked. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Bulma struggled to find her voice. "It's… his power level… It's reading at 2,300,000!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I decided to skip the part where Piccolo and Nail merge and just leave it as a explanation by Dende. And Frieza has now taken on his third form. Just how are our heroes going to defeat him without Goku's help? Well, here's a hint, they have an advantage that they didn't have in the series. Can you guess what it is? It'll be coming up next chapter.)


	36. Moon Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm on a role with this story. Probably because we're reaching a climatic part. Frieza has already reached his 3rd transformation state. Soon he'll reach his forth. Hmm, or will he. Maybe I'll have him be defeated before that happens. This chapter title makes me feel like I'm doing as Sailor Moon fic rather than a Dragon Ball Z one.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 36: Moon Power**

Piccolo had no idea what the blue-haired woman was talking about. From what he could gather, a person's power level was how strong they were, but he had no idea how to judge a person's strength by that number. Yes, 2,300,000 sounded very powerful; hell, he could  _feel_  how much power Frieza had, but he didn't know how strong Frieza was compared to himself. He knew he was strong, stronger now having united with Nail, but he didn't have a number to compare to Frieza's.

He considered asking the woman what his power level was, but decided against it. From what he was sensing, Frieza was definitely stronger than him, but he didn't want to know how much stronger. There was no reason to make himself feel intimidated if it was a lot. Maybe his own power level was in the two millions as well, but something told him that that was wishful thinking.

"Well?" Frieza asked. "Aren't we going to continue, or have you finally realized how futile this all is?"

Piccolo growled. "Special Beam Cannon!"

The attack came, but Frieza easily knocked it aside. "You think a pathetic attack like that is going to work on me? You got lucky last time. It won't happen again."

Piccolo raised his arms over his head. "Masenko!"

The ground exploded as the attack seemed to hit, but when the smoke cleared, Frieza was nowhere to be seen. Piccolo blinked and looked around. The alien had moved so fast that he hadn't even seen him.

"Above you!" Gohan shouted.

Piccolo looked up, seeing Frieza floating upside-down over his head. The tyrant chuckled at the shocked look on the Namekian's face. When Piccolo made a move to attack, Frieza's foot came out of nowhere, kicking Piccolo and sending him flying.

Frieza immediately sped after him as the Namekian flew through the air. Opening his eyes, he saw Frieza coming for him and lashed out, his arm extending several feet. Frieza smirked and grabbed Piccolo's stretched out arm. Giving it a tug, he swept the Namekian through the air by his arm and slammed him to the ground.

Groaning, Piccolo tried to get to his feet, but when he looked up, Frieza was standing over him, grinning. He kicked upward, sending the Namekian straight up. Piccolo managed to halt his momentum, and immediately saw Frieza hovering in the air a few feet away from him.

Licking his lips hungrily, Frieza pointed his index fingers at the Namekian. A small beam of energy burst from his fingertip, striking Piccolo's shoulder like a laser. He cried out, and was immediately struck by another beam from Frieza's other finger, this one hitting his knee.

Frieza laughed loudly as he began firing beam after beam, hitting different areas of Piccolo's body. The others on the grounded watched helplessly as the Namekian was blasted full of holes.

"He's killing him!" Gohan wailed. "We have to do something!"

"Yeah," Bulma agreed, "but when you get an idea, you tell me."

Vegeta had an idea, and it sickened him. This would be a major blow to his pride, and ordinarily he would never even consider doing anything like this, but they were left without any other options.

Turning to Tarble, he grabbed his little brother. "Listen to me, Tarble, I want you to attack me now." A look of stunned disbelief crossed the young saiyan's face. And he wasn't the only one. The others looked at Vegeta as if he were crazy, but he ignored them. "You have to hit me with everything you've got. Don't hold back, make an actual attempt on my life. I'll lower my defenses so you can."

"Are you crazy?" Bulma shouted. "We've got a super powerful psychotic alien changeling trying to kill us, and you want your brother to attack you?"

Vegeta glanced at her impatiently. "Look, when a saiyan is fatally wounded, once he recovers, his strength will increase." He looked from his brother to Dende. "If this saiyan reject can injury me enough, then the green kid can heal me and I'll become stronger."

Tarble didn't know what amazed him more, that his brother wanted him to nearly kill him, or that his brother's pride was allowing him to do something so despicable and unorthodox to gain strength.

But that was irrelevant right now. "But… I can't attack you, big brother."

"Don't be foolish!" Vegeta snapped. "This is the only chance we have to defeat Frieza. We are completely out of options." He looked up at Piccolo. "The Namekian isn't going to last much longer. If we don't do something, we're all going to die."

Tarble bit his lip, looking uncomfortable. But Vegeta was right, there was no other choice. "Well… ok… here we go."

He fired a pathetic energy blast that Vegeta easily caught with one hand. "Don't be a wimp! Show me you're not a complete disgrace to the saiyan race! If you don't attack me with everything you've got," he raised his fist to strike, "I'm going to beat the hell out of you!"

Tarble shut his eyes and unleashed all his power directly into his brother's chest. The beam of energy tore straight through him, leaving a baseball size hole that went all the way through Vegeta's upper body.

Bulma screamed loudly and shut her eyes. Gohan and Gure's mouth dropped open, as if they couldn't believe what they'd just witnesses. Vegeta on the other hand, once a painful gasp escaped him, managed a slight grin as he looked up at his brother with approval.

"Well… done…"

Tarble had tears in his eyes as he backed away from Vegeta's bleeding form. He desperately ran over to Dende, falling to his knees. "Quickly, you have to heal him before he dies."

Dende was completely stunned, not understanding the situation. "But… why did you… do that?"

Vegeta spat up a mouthful of blood. "Never… mind that… now… Quickly, come and… heal me…"

The Namekian kid hurried over to Vegeta and began unleashing his healing powers. Skin and bone reformed as Dende worked his magic, healing the saiyan prince's wound.

The pain soon faded away as his body healed completely, and Vegeta climbed to his feet feeling stronger than ever. "Nicely done."

Dende shuffled away from him. "Um, sure. Uh, are you going to be able to defeat Frieza now?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Oh, I'll defeat Frieza all right." He made a fist and began gathering energy. "But this time I'm taking no chances." His fist began to glow with a pale white light. Chuckling, he looked at the youngest saiyan. "Gohan, did you know that it was your grandfather, Bardock, that invented this technique?" He grinned at the surprised look on the boy's face. "Just make sure you don't look at the light." He threw the Power Ball into the sky. It soared up in the air, reaching the planet's atmosphere. "Moon Blast Explode!"

The Power Ball erupted in the sky, bathing the land in a pale light. A fake moon now hovered in the sky, producing artificial moonlight shining down on the people below. Gohan and Tarble immediately looked away, knowing exactly what the technique was, but Vegeta stared directly into the light.

Frieza noticed that things suddenly seemed brighter and stopped his assault on the Namekian. He looked up and saw the glowing sphere in the sky. It looked kind of like the moon, only it wasn't solid.

"Now where did that come from?" he wondered out loud. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh no!"

His gaze snapped to Vegeta. The saiyan prince's body was pulsing, and that's when he started to change. His eyes turned red and began glowing, his skin got darker and thick brown fur sprouted all over his body. Then he began to grow at an alarming rate, his bone structure changing to become more beast than man.

Bulma's mouth dropped open as she watched Vegeta transform. Over the course of her stay on Planet Vegeta, she had learned quite a few things about saiyans, including that they transformed, along with how and why it happened, but she had never actually seen it before now.

As the saiyan prince, now in full Great Ape form, towered over them, he roared loudly, pounding his chest. It was a good thing saiyan armor could expand to nearly any size, otherwise he would have grown right out of his clothes since he was now over 100 feet tall.

"T-T-That's a saiyan's were-ape form?" she asked.

"All right!" Tarble cried. "This really gives us a chance."

"In their Great Ape form, a saiyan is ten times stronger than he usually is." Gohan explained.

"Yeah, but…" she glanced fearfully at the monstrous primate, "I thought saiyans can't control themselves in this form! He'll kill us all!"

"Don't worry." Tarble told her. "Normally saiyans can't control themselves and they run wild. We don't really even remember what happens during the change; it's like a dream. Big brother is the exception. He has control over this side of himself." Although he was more ruthless, but there was no need to tell her that.

Bulma felt enormously relieved, but was still intimidated. "I feel like I'm in  _Beauty and the Beast_  right now. No, make that  _King Kong._ "

The giant ape turned its glowing red gaze on Frieza. The evil alien glared up at Vegeta, his eyes shining with hatred.

"What's wrong, Frieza?" Vegeta asked, his booming voice sounding deep and distorted. "Not afraid of a monkey, are you?"

Frieza resisted the urge to grind his teeth together. "Saiyan scum, I'll kill you!"

He fired a blast of energy. Vegeta opened his mouth and unleashed his own blast. It easily overpowered Frieza's attack and continued towards him. Frieza flew straight up, avoiding the attack, but Vegeta's giant hand swatted him out of the sky. He went crashing down, tearing straight through the ground at an angle and ending up underwater.

With an angry cry, he burst above the surface and fired another energy blast. Vegeta smacked it aside and opened his mouth again, breathing a massive stream of fire. Frieza avoided the blaze, flying towards the saiyan prince. Vegeta punched outward, but Frieza held up his hands and blocked the giant fist.

Leaping up onto Vegeta's hand, he ran up the saiyan prince's arm and delivered a powerful blow to the ape's snout. Vegeta stumbled back and backhanded blindly in the air. He hit his mark and Frieza went crashing into a mountain. He didn't have the chance to recover as Vegeta unleashed another blast of energy from his mouth at the spot Frieza crashed.

The entire mountain exploded and came crashing down in a pile of rocks. But Frieza was far from finished. He burst up from under the rubble, flying high in the air. Vegeta joined him in flight, as fast as ever, regardless of his size. Frieza's eyes widened as the ape's giant balled fists swung down, sending him back to the ground.

Vegeta landed where Frieza fell, bringing his giant foot down to stomp on the alien. Frieza immediately jumped to his feet, just in time to hold up his hands and prevent Vegeta's foot from stomping him flat.

"Damn you, Vegeta!" he snarled. "How dare you do this to me! I'll make you pay!"

He flew up, continuing to push on Vegeta's foot. The saiyan prince lost his balance and fell backward, causing the ground to shake when he came crashing down.

"Take this, monkey!"

Raising his hands over his head, Frieza created a giant ball of energy and threw it at the saiyan prince. Vegeta's large hands reached out and caught it. He struggled for a few seconds before throwing it up into space.

Frieza used the borrowed time to bring his elbow flying down into Vegeta's gut. At this size, it did nowhere near as much damage as it would have normally done, but it still hurt like hell. And Frieza didn't let up there. Determine to hurt the saiyan prince as much as possible, he rained punches into Vegeta's gut, although he was no bigger than a few inches to the Great Ape.

Vegeta clapped his hands together right on Frieza. The Icejin was left dazed as Vegeta fired another blast of energy from his mouth, sending Frieza flying backwards. He recovered quickly and halted his momentum, seeing Vegeta leap to his feet again.

"I've had enough of you!" he wailed, and flew towards the monster.

Before he reached him, Vegeta's fist came slamming down. Frieza hit the ground with such force that he went straight through it, creating a deep hole that he disappeared into. Vegeta grinned and bent down looking into the hole.

"Come out, come out, Frieza." He taunted. "Come out and play."

Frieza did come out, but not where Vegeta had expected. He'd moved under ground, bursting up behind the saiyan prince. With an angry cry, he fired a beam of energy at Vegeta's rear end. It struck right at the spot where Vegeta's tail was attacked to his body, blasting it right off his backside.

Vegeta roared as he felt the loss of his tail, and a feeling of dread passed through him. Their tail was a saiyan's greatest weakness, but also their greatest strength. Without it, he couldn't maintain his transformed state, and he immediately began shrinking, reverting back to his normal form.

When he became a man again, his hands subconsciously went to where his tail used to be, only finding less than an inch left of the furry attachment. And before he could make a move, Frieza slammed into him from behind. Only Frieza had collided with him so they were back to back, and the long pointy horns growing out of the Icejin's back stabbed right through Vegeta, bursting out his chest.

"Lets see you recover from that." He snarled.

The saiyan prince cried out in agony as Frieza swayed his body back and forth, making it as painful as possible before finally pulling away. Vegeta collapsed to the ground, bleeding badly. The others hurried over to him once Frieza had backed off, and he watched them with an expression changing from angry to amused.

"Vegeta, Vegeta, get up!" Bulma cried, shaking his body.

"Please, big brother, you can't quit now." Tarble begged.

Gohan, however, shifted his attention to Frieza, glaring furiously at the Icejin. "You monster!"

"I'll show you a monster!" Frieza snapped.

He fired beams from his eyes at them. The ground exploded where it struck, sending the others flying backwards. They recovered quickly and immediately began fussing over Vegeta again, dragging his bleeding form further away from the evil alien.

Frieza watched them in disgust.  _'I underestimated these fools. It's time I stopped fooling around. They're proving to be more trouble than they're worth. The time has come for me to take on my true form and unleash my true power.'_

With that, he began the transformation to his ultimate form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Too bad. Vegeta was on a role in his Great Ape form, but Frieza new how to beat him. By the way, props to whoever guessed that he would transform like that, although the chapter title should have given that away. But now Frieza is taking on his true form, and there's no Goku around to help. Stay turned to se what happens. Wait, is stay tuned the correct phrase for reading a story. Ah, whatever, you know what I mean. See you next time.)


	37. Frieza's True Form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, we all know that the fight between Goku and Frieza was epic and extremely long. The fight in my story will be long as well, but nowhere near that long. That fight was, what, 15-20 episodes. They've already been fighting Frieza for the past three chapters anyway. And now we're up to the part where Frieza reaches his true form. So here we go.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 37: Frieza's True Form**

Dende was already in the process of healing Piccolo. The larger Namekian's wounds were already healed and his strength was returning quickly. A few seconds longer under Frieza's assault, and he wouldn't have made it. Even after Vegeta had stepped in, the danger of bleeding to death was eminent if it hadn't been for Dende.

With his strength renewed, Piccolo climbed to his feet. Both he and Nail were in agreement, they had greatly underestimated Frieza, with serious consequences. It seemed as if the evil alien was truly unbeatable. Even now, the others were dragging Vegeta over to them for another healing, his injuries were different, but just as life threatening as Piccolo's had been.

"Dende, quick, heal him." Gohan begged.

"Yes." Dende agreed without argument.

"And you better make it fast." Piccolo told him. "Frieza's up to something."

Turning their attention to their nemesis, they saw that the Icejin was glowing. His body was trembling and beginning to shift around. That could mean only one thing, another transformation.

Gure voiced the obvious. "He's changing again."

"Then we'll have to move fast." Said Tarble. "Dende-"

"Right," the young Namekian agreed, "I'm on it."

While Dende set to work on healing Vegeta, Frieza continued with his transformation. Unlike his others, this one consisted of shedding his skin. Cracks began forming over his body as his true form began to come together underneath. It was a bit painful, and rather stressful on his body, but the end results would be more than worth it.

But even as he changed, he was aware of his surroundings, and his gaze shifted to those that dared to stand against him. He saw the Namekian he had fought with on his feet and looking better than ever. He also saw the smaller one kneeling by Vegeta with gold light pouring out of his hands as the others watched. To Frieza's amazement, Vegeta soon got to his feet. The holes in his body were gone, and he looked perfectly all right.

' _That green brat has healing powers!'_  he realized as more and more cracks appeared.  _'He's been healing them this whole time!'_

A sinister laugh escaped his lips that blending in with his groans as he continued to change.

Unaware that their secret had been discovered, the others watched as Vegeta examined himself.

"I'm sorry," Dende told him, "I wasn't able to regrow your tail."

"All in due time." Vegeta told him. Even if they were cut off, saiyans were known to grow back their tails under certain circumstances, mostly during stressful situations.

"That was a nice try though." Tarble commented.

Vegeta humphed. "Yes, well if you could control yourself when you transform, you could have been of use." He'd considered having his brother and Gohan change as well, but he didn't want to deal with Frieza and have to worry about two raging saiyans. Instead, he turned his attention to Frieza, noticing the change taking place. "What's happening here?"

"It looks like Frieza is changing again." Bulma replied. She gulped nervously. "I wonder what he'll be like."

The color drained from Tarble's face as he pictured an even more hideous creature than Frieza was right now with a massive power level. The others shared similar thoughts, but they were all surprised by what they saw.

With a final wail, Frieza's outer skin exploded off his body, revealing his true form underneath. He looked more humanoid now. He was only a little bit bigger from his first form, and had a much simpler body. He was completely white with several purple jewel-like patches on his body, nothing more. It was very different from the hideous reptile-like form he had just discarded.

"Is that… really Frieza?" Gohan asked.

"I… I guess so." Piccolo muttered.

Bulma scoffed. "He doesn't look so tough now. You can definitely beat him, Vegeta. You're even stronger now that Dende's healed you. And if you do get beat up again, he can just keep healing you."

Almost as if he heard her, Frieza turned toward them. He slowly raised his hand, pointing his finger at one of them.

His voice was more like that of his first form when he spoke a single word. "Bang."

Faster than they could blink, a small bead of energy flew towards them. It flew past Vegeta, followed by Gohan, Tarble, Gure, Bulma, Piccolo, before finally finding it's mark.

There was an explosion behind them and they all turned, astounded by the speed of the attack. When the dust settled, Dende was laying on the ground motionless, his body smoking.

"D-Dende!" Gohan cried, horrified.

"No, not him!" Vegeta snarled.

"I didn't even see him attack." Tarble muttered, unable to take his eyes off his unmoving friend.

"Frieza…" Piccolo growled furiously.

Bulma had tears in her eyes as she looked at the fallen Namekian child. "He… he must have seen… Dende's power. So he… he…"

She didn't need to say it. It was obvious what happened. Frieza saw that Dende had the ability to heal, so he took him out. One down, six to go.

Slowly, Vegeta turned back to Frieza. The evil alien was smirking, actually looking proud about what he'd done.

Vegeta swallowed nervously. "Hey, Bulma, what does the scouter say about his power?"

Bulma had to tear her eyes off Dende. "I'll check." She said emotionlessly. She was still stunned by the way Frieza mercilessly slaughtered a child to be surprised by the reading she received. "His power level is 3,500,000."

Vegeta humphed. "Of course it is." He glanced at the others. "Tarble, Gohan come here. You too, green man." Slowly, they obeyed, even Piccolo. The three of them gathered around Vegeta, wondering what his plan was. "Listen up, at this point we only have one chance left. I may be stronger now, but without the ability to transform into a Great Ape, our chances are very slim at best. I need for you to transfer all your power over to me. It's the only hope we have."

Piccolo growled. "Why should I put my faith in you?"

The saiyan prince just smirked. "Because the alternative is that we all die. Now, do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

The Namekian wasn't happy. He clearly didn't want to give Vegeta his power, but he knew that the saiyan prince was right. He felt the overwhelming amount of energy Frieza was unleashing. There truly was no other option.

One by one, they each placed their hands on the saiyan prince. Auras surrounded each of their bodies as they began the process of sending their energy to him, making his body light up.

Frieza smirked. He knew what the fools were doing, and he wasn't concerned. They had no idea how strong he really was. That custom made scouter the girl had may have been able to give them a reading of his power level, but that was just what was on the surface. Soon they would know the true meaning of despair and utter hopelessness.

Patiently he waited for Vegeta to finish gathering his energy. When he was done, the saiyan prince walked over to meet him. This was to be their final battle, if one could even call it that. A better word to use would be a slaughter.

"So, Vegeta, you've come to your death."

Vegeta glared, but a smirk still found its way up his face. "You may be surprised, Frieza. After all, you thought I would be easy pickings when you were in your first form, and look how far I've pushed you."

Frieza chuckled. "Yes, you've definitely proved your capability, but that all ends now. It's time for you to die." An evil grin crept up his face. "But let's not be too hasty. It's not too often I get to show my true power to someone. So what do you say we make a game out of this? We'll have an official match."

Vegeta shrugged. "If that's what you want."

"All right then, would you rather have it on the ground or in the air."

Vegeta thought about it. Frieza was a better fighter in the air, and he needed all the help he could get. "Very well, lets do this on the ground."

Frieza chuckled, as if he knew what the saiyan prince had been thinking and couldn't resist mocking him further. "You know, I wish I could make this last longer, so I think I'll give you a handicap. I know, I'll fight without using my hands. How does that sound?"

It was a major blow to his pride, and completely infuriating, but whatever advantage Frieza was giving him needed to be taken. So, reluctantly, he set aside his pride and accepted. "Fine, lets just get this over with."

Frieza crossed his arms in front of him so he wouldn't use them. Then, before Vegeta could react, Frieza kicked out at him. He managed to avoid it, but several other kicks began flying passed him, the movements so fast that he could barely think before dodging. He continued backing away, unable to do anything else.

Frieza was impressed by the saiyan prince's speed, though it was nothing compared to his own if he really tried. While Vegeta avoided his kicks, Frieza lashed out with his tail, wrapping it around the saiyan's ankles. His next kick found its mark, striking Vegeta's side and knocking him off his feet.

His tail tugged on Vegeta, slamming him on the ground repeatedly before tossing him aside. Covered in scraps and bruises, Vegeta forced himself to his feet, immediately getting struck in the face by Frieza's tail again.

He swore angrily. He'd made a foolish mistake. Frieza had said that he wouldn't use his hands, not that he'd only use his feet. He would need to keep an eye on that tail. And it was a good thing he did as Frieza lashed out with it again.

Vegeta jumped aside and kicked off the ground, speeding towards the Icejin. Now it was Frieza who was avoiding his attacks, only doing a much better job at it. That's when Frieza head butted him, something else Vegeta had overlooked. While he was dazed, Frieza jumped up and spun around, delivering a kick that sent Vegeta flying.

Quickly moving into the saiyan prince's path, Frieza jumped up again, locking his legs around Vegeta's neck and bringing him down. The saiyan prince struggled, clawing at his neck, but was unable to pry Frieza's legs off.

"Come on, Vegeta, I'm waiting to be dazzled by your awesome power." Frieza taunted. "But if you're not going to fight back, then I'll simply snap your neck. Or maybe I should just prolong your death suffocating you."

With an angry snarl, Vegeta rolled backwards and kicked out, his feet hitting Frieza in the face. It was enough to get the alien to release him, and Vegeta hopped to his feet. Frieza immediately lashed out with his tail, but Vegeta had been prepared and he caught it.

Knowing it would annoy the Icejin, Vegeta laughed. "Look what I just caught."

"Damn you." Frieza seethed. "Let go of my tail."

"As you wish."

Vegeta began spinning him around, going faster and faster. When he released him, Frieza went flying through the air before crashing into a rock formation. Vegeta was instantly upon him, punching and kicking every part of Frieza's body he could reach while keeping him pinned to the wall.

Frieza grunted and groaned as he received blow after blow. Infuriated, he uncrossed his arms and punched Vegeta right in the jaw. The saiyan prince went down,

skidding across the ground. Frieza stood over him, breathing heavily, astounded that Vegeta had suddenly been able to get the jump on him like that. He was angered further as Vegeta got to his feet with a grin plastered on his face.

"So, he taunted, "I guess you had to use your hands after all."

Anger flashed in Frieza's eyes, but then he relaxed and smiled. "All right, from now on the deal is off. From now on, we go all out."

Vegeta smirked and got into a fighting stance. "That's fine by me."

He couldn't help but think that those may be his famous last words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It's a little short, I know, but that's only because we were at a good stopping point in the battle. The next few will be longer. Not as long as the fight in the actual series, but still a few chapters. Maybe three or four. By the way, I know Frieza is a lot stronger than 3,500,000. He's still holding back, so don't worry about that. Question for you though, what's Vegeta going to do without the Spirit Bomb attack. You'll have to wait and see.)


	38. Last Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: At this point, you should all have a pretty idea at what's going to happen, but lets see how accurate your theories are.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 38: Last Attack**

The battle had begun to move away from the others as Vegeta and Frieza continued to go head to head. But even from this distance, it was obvious who had the advantage. It seemed as if Frieza had been serious about not fooling around anymore. Vegeta had hardly landed more than a single blow ever since the Icejin began using his hands.

"How much longer can this go on?" Bulma wondered out loud.

"I'm surprised it's gone on this long." Piccolo admitted.

Bulma didn't like the sound of that, so she looked desperately to the two saiyans. "Hey, Vegeta still has a chance to win this, right?" When she didn't receive an answer, she pressed harder. "Right?"

Tarble hung his head and shook it in the negative. "No, there's no possible chance for him to win. We never had a chance. This battle was over before it started."

That was  _not_  the answer she wanted to hear. "How can you say that? He's your brother! Show some enthusiasm!"

"Tarble's right." Gohan admitted. "Vegeta has already lost."

"No he hasn't!" Bulma insisted. "He's still fighting!"

"That's because his pride won't let him quit." Tarble told her. "Big brother is too stubborn to just give up, even though he knows he's already lost. But if he stops, he dies. It's a simple as that."

And he was right. Several minutes after the battle truly began, Vegeta realized that he would not be able to stop Frieza. He was already struggling to stand up, and he'd barely landed a few punches of his own. He was simply prolonging his death.

"Are you done yet?" Frieza asked when the saiyan prince stopped for a breather. "Have you decided to surrender?"

In response, Vegeta threw a punch, but Frieza easily caught it and buried his own fist in the saiyan's gut. The Icejin grinned and dropped to the ground, kicking Vegeta's feet out from under him. Before the saiyan prince even hit the ground, Frieza was on his feet again, kicking upward.

As he went flying through the air, Vegeta realized that he was left with one option. He would have to use all his power in an attempt to destroy Frieza with a single attack. Halting his momentum, he took position in the air, stuck his arms out, and began gathering energy.

Down on the ground, Frieza watched as Vegeta hovered in the air, waiting for him to make a move, but the saiyan prince simple hovered in the air, not seeming to be doing anything.

After several long seconds, Frieza called up to him impatiently. "Are you going to stay up there all day?"

Vegeta didn't answer. He was too busy focusing on gathering his energy. Frieza continued waiting, wondering if he was taking a break. He tapped his fingers against his side as his patience deteriorated with each passing second.

"All right then, if you won't come to me, then I'll come to you."

He took to the air, speeding towards Vegeta. The saiyan prince's eyes widened as Frieza appeared in front him. Raising his hands, Frieza fired an energy blast directly into Vegeta's chest. He didn't even try to block it. Even as he went flying through the air, he maintained the posture.

Frieza waited some more, thinking that that would have gotten Vegeta back in the game, but the saiyan just continued with what he was doing before. "Are you ignoring me? Fine, lets see if you can ignore this."

He began fire a series of energy blasts. Vegeta stayed where he was, letting the blasts hit him and doing his best to ignore the pain as he was struck again and again. At this rate, he might not live long enough to unleash his attack.

This was getting old quickly. Frieza couldn't figure out what the saiyan was doing. He'd been in that position now for a few minutes, simply letting himself getting attacked. Was this some kind of statement he was making? If so, it only served to anger him.

"Fine then," he grumbled, stopping his attacks, "if you're not going to fight, then I'll just end this right now."

He gathered power, creating a much larger ball of energy. With a wicked sneer on his face, he prepared to throw it as the saiyan prince. Just as he was getting ready to toss it, he was hit from behind by an energy blast. His attack went off course, missing Vegeta and falling in the ocean, creating a massive tsunami.

Irritated, Frieza turned around, seeing the youngest saiyan with his hands cupped together, having unleashed a Kamehameha Wave. He'd almost forgotten about those brats. It seemed as if they wanted to play too. Well, if Vegeta wasn't going to, then why shouldn't he let them join?

Faster than they could see, Frieza was suddenly in front of them. "If you wanted to die so badly, all you had to do was ask."

It happened so fast, they couldn't even see it. A punch to Piccolo, a kick to Gohan, and a tail whip to Tarble, and they all went down. Then he set his sights on Gure. The little alien squeaked and began backing away. Frieza just chuckled and began making his way towards her.

Bulma didn't know what made her do it, but she suddenly grabbed a rock and threw it at Frieza's head. It bounced right off, not even fazing the evil alien, but it succeeded in getting his attention.

Frieza turned to her with a scowl on his face, irritated by the fact that she even thought she could hurt even. "You obnoxious little…"

He trailed as the ground began to shake. Blinking he looked up to where Vegeta was floating in the air. The saiyan prince was glowing with power. He was the reason the whole planet was shaking. A shadow fell over them all as the clouds came swirling together, drawn in by the gathering of energy.

Vegeta's hands snapped together as his body trembled under the strain of his suppressed power. Bolts of lightning made of pure energy flew from his body as he focused his power.

"Frieza!" he shouted. "You have underestimated us saiyans at every turn, and now you'll pay the ultimate price! If you really think that you're superior to a lousy stinking saiyan monkey, then stay right where you are, otherwise you can turn tail and run like the coward you truly are!"

Frieza scowled at the saiyan. He studied him for a few moments before crossing his arms in front of him stubbornly, accepting the challenge.

' _That's what he's doing.'_  Tarble realized.  _'He's trying to provoke Frieza into challenging his attack!'_

Piccolo had figured that out as well, but he also recognized the danger at hand. "Vegeta, stop it! You're going to destroy the whole planet!"

Vegeta just laughed as he continued building up his energy for one massive attack.

"There's no time!" Gohan shouted. "We have to go, now!"

He grabbed Bulma and flew off, Tarble did the same with Gure, with Piccolo following them. Frieza let them go, bracing himself for Vegeta's attack.

"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta roared.

A beam of energy of enormous size burst forth, heading towards Frieza, whose eyes widened in shock. "What's this?"

The attack hit and continued onward, going up into space. Any planet with Namek in its view was able to see the attack coming from the green world as it flew off into the darkness off space, erupting in a massive explosion that, for a few brief seconds, left a star floating where the blast erupted before it slowly faded away.

Back on Planet Namek, the dust slowly began to settle. When it did, a large groove in the ground was left behind from Vegeta's attack that surpassed even the Grand Canyon. And Frieza was nowhere in sight.

Shocked, terrified, and hopeful, the others stared at the saiyan prince in amazement as he slowly hovered to the ground.

"I don't believe it." Tarble whispered. "He actually did it."

"He knew what he was doing all along." Piccolo observed. "He focused his attack on Frieza alone. That was a close one."

Bulma looked at them hopefully. "Does this mean… we won?"

Gohan looked around. "I… I think so. I don't see Frieza anywhere, and I don't feel anything either."

Gure began hopping up and down. "He did it! He did it!"

Tarble wiped a tear of joy from his eye. "Big brother…" Then ran over to the saiyan prince, who was struggling to stay on his feet. Tarble made it there first, glomping his older brother happily. "Vegeta, you won! You actually won!"

"This is so great." Said Gohan, looking, like he was going to cry as well.

"Speak for yourself." Bulma muttered. "I don't think my heart can take this."

Suddenly looking angry, she marched purposefully over to Vegeta and pried Tarble off, then glared at him angrily. Vegeta watched as she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Gohan, Tarble, and Gure's mouths all dropped open at what they just saw.

Vegeta blinked in surprise, not entirely sure that what had just happened actually happened. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"That's for scaring me!" she shouted as angry tears threatened to escape.

Vegeta humphed. "I had it under control. I wouldn't just destroy the planet while we were still on it. I'm not a fool."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU IDIOT!" Bulma shouted, once again surprising the saiyan prince. Then she buried her face into his chest, snuggling into him. "I thought I was going to lose you. I really thought Frieza was going to kill you."

This was certainly a day for surprises as Vegeta was once again caught off guard by her display of affection. He didn't know exactly how to react to this, and the look the Namekian was giving him was infuriating.

"What are you looking at?" he demanded.

"Nothing." The smile left Piccolo's face. "But I suppose I should thank you for getting rid of that monster and saving my people."

Vegeta scoffed. "I didn't do it for you or your people. You have no reason to thank me."

"That's because there's nothing to be thankful for!"

The angry shout rang out from behind them. Whirling around, the color drained from each and every one of their faces as they saw the impossible. Frieza was alive, and he did not look happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: As you probably figured out, Vegeta's Final Flash was supposed to be the substitute for Goku's Spirit Bomb. It was basically a reenactment of the scene when he faced Cell, only with Frieza instead. By the way, I know this chapter was kind of short, but it was supposed to be all about gathering energy for one massive blast. There's only so long you can write about energy being gathered. Next chapter will be better, I guarantee it.)


	39. The Truth Behind the Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Most of you probably saw this coming, but I bet there's something you've overlooked. An important plot element to this chapter popped up several chapters back that was very easy to overlook. You'll probably wonder how you missed it once you read it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 39: The Truth Behind the Legend**

Though alive, Frieza hadn't escaped from the attack unscathed. He was covered in various wounds, and half his tail was missing, having been completely incinerated. But none of that mattered. If  _he_  was alive, that meant that  _they_  were all dead.

Frieza was angry. Never had he been so angry. And his pride hurt more than his severed tail. Never had anymore hurt him so badly, and especially not in his true form. To think that a single saiyan warrior, a damned  _monkey_ , had done this to  _him_  was incomprehensible.

He'd put this up for far too long. He should have killed them all at the very beginning. Yet he had been careless and arrogant, and look what happened because of it. Well, no more. He would put an end to this right now.

"H-How?" Tarble stuttered. "He can't be alive. It's not possible."

"Many impossible things have happened today." Frieza told him. "Being so gravely wounded by you being the most impossible, yet it's happened. Well I'm through playing around. It's time for you all to die!"

He took a step towards them with murderous intent. Vegeta pulled himself away from his companions and went out to meet him. He knew it was pointless to continue, but he couldn't give up, not until his heart stopped beating.

"Fine, lets continue this."

Tarble looked at his brother in disbelief. "You're going to keep fighting? But… that's crazy. You can't win."

Bulma turned on him. "Hey, shut up! I'm so sick of hearing that. All you guys talk about is how big and bad Frieza is, yet we've been besting him at every turn. Now he looks half dead, yet you're still scared to death." She glanced at Frieza. "Maybe he's the one that should be scared. Look at him; he can't possibly go on much longer. You'll see, Vegeta's going to win this. He's going to kick that creep's-"

Frieza had finally had enough of the girl's mouth. Pointing a finger at her, he fired a beam of energy, aiming for her heart. It struck Bulma right between her breasts and passed straight through and out her back. Her eyes widened in shock and she fell backwards.

"Bulma!" Gohan, Tarble, and Gure all cried.

Vegeta didn't say anything. He just stared at Bulma's fallen form with a shocked and horrified look on his face.

"About time she shut up." Frieza grumbled. "I should have killed that stupid girl when she first spoke out against me. I was too soft."

The others continued fussing over Bulma, trying to stop the bleeding. Her eyes were glazed over, staring unseeing at the sky, her mouth moving soundlessly.

"Bulma! Bulma! Hang in there!" Gohan cried.

Their fears increased when she coughed up a mouthful of blood. There were air bubbles mixed in with it and she couldn't seem to breathe. There was no doubt that she had internal bleeding.

"Get out of the way!" Vegeta snarled, pushing the others aside.

He knelt down by Bulma's side, not quite sure what to do, not quite sure what he was feeling as she lay there dying. The only thing he could think to do was take her hand in his. She squeezed his hand when he took it, her blank eyes staring up at him, and her lips formed his name. Then her grip slackened and her eyes closed, her head dropping to the side. She wasn't breathing any more, but her body continued to twitch.

Frieza was delightfully surprised by Vegeta's reaction to the girl. "Well now, this is unexpected. Vegeta, don't tell me you had feelings for the girl."

The saiyan prince slowly got to his feet, turning back to the murderous fiend before him. "You… you damn… despicable… psychotic…"

"Yes?" Frieza pressed tauntingly.

Vegeta's teeth clenched together painfully, his nail digging into his palms straight through his gloves. "You… you'll pay. I make you pay. I swear it, Frieza."

Something was happening. Vegeta's body was starting to glow. Even Frieza's amusement was cut short as something seemed to change in the saiyan prince.

"FRIEZA," he shouted, "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"

There was an explosion of golden energy, the light blinding them with its intensity. It only lasted for a brief moment though, and when the light faded away, Vegeta had transformed.

"What the?" Frieza cried.

Vegeta now stood before him as a golden warrior. His energy pulsed around him in a bright aura, displaying his power. His muscle mass had increased as well, and his hair and eyes had changed color. His hair was now the same gold color as the aura surrounding his body, and his eyes had turned a bright emerald green, staring at Frieza furiously.

"What… what happened?" Frieza exclaimed. "How'd you change like that? Saiyans turn into monkeys, not golden people. What's going on?"

Vegeta didn't answer, he just continued staring at Frieza furiously. From the look of things, he was trying to resist simply blowing them all up right now, and to hell with the consequences.

Tarble and the others were so fixated on Vegeta, that he almost missed Bulma suddenly take a breath and cough up more blood.

"She's still alive!" he cried.

Gohan pulled off a glove and felt her pulse. "Yeah, but barely. Her pulse is weak, and it's slowing down by the second." He looked at Dende's fallen form. "If only Dende could heal her, or if we had some Senzu beans."

Tarble's eyes widened. "Senzu beans… Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the very last Senzu bean.

"Where did you get that?" Gohan exclaimed.

"I'd forgotten I had it." Tarble confessed. "It's the one Bulma gave me after we fought the Ginyu Force. I wasn't really hurt at the time, so I decided to save it in case we needed it later."

Gohan grabbed Bulma's face and turned it upward. "Well quick, give it to her!"

Tarble nodded, and tried to stuff the bean into Bulma's mouth, but it just sat there against her lips, and she made no attempt to eat it.

"Come on, Bulma," he begged, "you have to eat."

She didn't seem to be able to hear him, didn't even appear conscious. Tarble groaned and folded his hands, muttering a quick prayer. "Big brother, Bulma, Gure, please forgive me for what I'm about to do."

He popped the bean into his own mouth, chewed it up, and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth. Gohan looked away, blushing, while Gure's eyes widened in shock, though she understood what her mate was doing.

A few seconds passed and Bulma's body started shaking as if she were having a seizure. Gohan and Tarble held her down as her body continued to shake. They could see the hole in her chest slowly closing as the tissue knitted itself back together. When it closed completely, her shaking stopped and she fell silent, seeming to be in a deep sleep.

"She's ok!" Gohan cheered. "Vegeta, Bulma's going to be all right!"

The saiyan prince didn't reply, but Gohan's words did seem to snap him out off his glaring contest with Frieza, and he slowly turned to face the others. "Take her and get out of here. Get on our ship and leave this planet at once."

Tarble's mouth dropped open. "But what about you? We can't leave you here."

Vegeta glanced back at his nemesis. "I'm going to take care of Frieza. You all leave now."

Frieza chuckled, folding his arms. "And just what exactly are you planning to take care of?"

The others ignored him. "But how are you going to get home?" Gohan asked.

"I'll take Frieza's ship." The saiyan prince replied. "Now go."

"But-"

Vegeta whirled around to face them. "I SAID GET OUT OF HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

Gohan, Tarble, and Gure all jumped, but Piccolo stood his ground. Still, he decided that the saiyan was right and he bent down to pick up Bulma. "Come on, lets go."

Tarble looked up at him. "We can't just leave."

"We'll only be in the way here, and things are about to get really bad. Now follow me."

Gohan sighed. "He's right. Just give me a second." He hurried over to Dende's body, picking up his friend. He would not leave him here. He would take his body and give him a proper burial later.

With one last look at the golden saiyan prince, the others took off. Frieza watched them leave with a scowl on his face.

"Fools." He growled. "Do you really think you can escape me?"

He took aim, ready to blast them out of the sky. But Vegeta suddenly appeared in front of him. Frieza gasped, shocked at the saiyan prince's speed; he hadn't even seen him move. His gasp turned into a grunt of pain as Vegeta's hand closed over his own in a powerful grip, directing it away from the fleeing individuals.

"Ouch!" Frieza grumbled, unable to prevent the complaint from slipping passed his lips as Vegeta crushed his hand in his grip.

He attempted to pull away, but Vegeta refused to release him, squeezing harder and harder. Frieza hissed in pain, desperately trying to pull away before the saiyan prince broke every bone in his hand.

He suddenly got away and stumbled back, but only because Vegeta willingly released him. The fact that he hadn't been able to break the saiyan's grip hurt him more than the actual pain in his hand.

"Damn you, Vegeta." He snarled. "Where did this strength come from all of a sudden? What did you do?"

At this point, Vegeta would normally gloat or make a snarky remark, but the scowl remained on his face and he looked very serious. "Truthfully, I have no idea what happened. But if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the legend has come to pass. I've become what you've always feared."

Frieza's nails dug into his palms. "That Super Saiyan nonsense. Ridiculous. It's a stupid legend, nothing more."

"Well then, lets test that theory, shall we?"

The next thing Frieza felt was an explosion of pain in his gut as Vegeta's fist slammed into him. His head began snapping side to side as Vegeta punched him again and again, following up with a kick to his gut.

As Frieza flew backwards, Vegeta appeared in his path and fired an energy blast, sending the Icejin in the opposite direction. He didn't go very far before Vegeta came down on him from up above, his feet slamming Frieza into the ground, tearing it apart as they skidded along.

Once the momentum stopped, Vegeta jumped backwards and raised his hand. Frieza barely managed to get to his knees before he was struck by another energy blast, sending him flying. Vegeta appeared in his path again, but this time he was ready, lashing out at the saiyan.

His hand hit nothing but air as Vegeta moved so rapidly that he left an after image for Frieza to attack. He then felt the real Vegeta crash into him, slamming him into a rock wall. The saiyan's fists punched into his gut several times, constantly knocking the wind out of him before another energy blast completely obliterated the rock formation Frieza was pressed up against.

Taking to the air, Vegeta looked down at the large dust cloud. Frieza came stumbling out, a trail of bloody drool dripping from his chin as he gagged from the repeated blows to his stomach. He looked up at Vegeta furiously and began firing a series of energy blasts. The saiyan prince easily knocked each and every one of them away before flying down towards Frieza again, kneeing him in the face and sending him flying.

Doing a back flip, Frieza stopped his momentum and turned back to Vegeta, but the saiyan prince was gone. He looked around for him, but there was no trace of him anywhere. That is, until he felt a presence directly behind him. Vegeta was right next to him, standing back to back. Anger twisted the alien's features at how the damned saiyan was toying with him.

"Damn saiyan monkey!" he roared, whirling around to hit him.

He hit nothing but air, but didn't even have time to register that he missed before Vegeta's elbow slammed into the side of his head. He stumbled away, his hand automatically pressing against his head where he was struck. He glared at Vegeta furiously, unable to believe what was happening. Just minutes ago, Vegeta's power was nothing, now he was moving at speeds and hitting with power that rivaled his own. How was this possible?

Vegeta made a move and Frieza immediately flew straight up to avoid whatever he was about to do. Once in the sky, the saiyan prince immediately appeared in front of him, and Frieza shot backwards, startled by his sudden appearance.

"You… you think this is some sort of game, toying with me like this?" he demanded.

"Wasn't that what you called it?" Vegeta asked.

Frieza growled and fired laser beams from his eyes. Vegeta simply leaned back, letting the beams pass over him, going faster than the speed of light. Frieza was in shock at his speed. How could he have possible missed? The guy was less than five feet away.

"How could you dodge at this range?" he demanded.

His red eyes looked the saiyan prince up and down, truly taking in his features, and he remembered the warning that had been passed down through the generations in his family about a golden warrior. Fear gripped him as he realized that those stories weren't just stories after all.

"No… don't tell me…" he said shakingly. "The legend… it really is true, isn't it? You weren't just bluffing. You're really a… a…"

"Yes!" Vegeta declared. "I'm your worst nightmare! The whole reason you feared the saiyan race! I am Prince Vegeta, the Super Saiyan!"

To emphasize his point, he let his power flare out. Frieza may have been unable to sense other's energy, but the visual aspects were enough, and he trembled under the saiyan's might.

But his fear soon gave way to anger, and then, slowly, to humor, and he chuckled. "So you are. Out of the entire barrel of monkeys, one finally made it. Well, if anyone would be able to pull it off, it's you, Vegeta." He grinned evilly. "It's just a shame you won't be able to tell anyone about it."

He raised his hands over his head and began gathering energy. Vegeta measured it carefully as it continued to build up and get condensed into a single ball of energy over Frieza's head. The attack was powerful, but with his new strength, he knew he could deflect it.

"The thing about legends," Frieza told him, "is that they should remain legends. You may be a Super Saiyan, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to beat me. I'd destroy us both before I let that happen, but I don't think it'll come to that. No matter how much strength you have, you'll die just like any other monkey without air. Now, lets see if you find breathing in space as easy as I do."

Vegeta realized what he was about to do a second before he did it.

"Now, say goodbye to Namek!"

He threw the ball of energy straight down. A look of devastation crossed Vegeta's face as the attack broke through the planet's surface, going straight down and completely obliterating the planets core, setting it up to self-destruct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It's finally happened. Vegeta, the Super Saiyan. Fortunately, thanks to Tarble, no one had to lose their life in the process, though it had been a close call. Well, Tarble might lose his life once Vegeta gets his hands on him for "kissing" Bulma, or maybe he'll be merciful since it saved her life. The battle is really going to escalate now. Frieza already got the beating of his life. Things will really get good when he reaches 100%.)


	40. Countdown to Destruction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Tick, tock, tick, tock, the timer is counting down for Namek's destruction, hence the chapter title. This one is action packed between Frieza and Vegeta. HOWEVER, you are going to see an inaccurate part that I will explain at the end of the chapter, so read that.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 40: Countdown to Destruction**

Fate, it seemed, had other plans. Planet Namek was tougher than they thought. Frieza miscalculated, and the planet endured, even with the destruction of its core. But the damage was substantial, even upon the surface. A massive hole led down into a bottomless pit from the supernova Frieza had unleashed upon the planet.

The two combatants looked down into the blackness of the hole, one with a disappointed scowl on his face.

"Darn," Frieza muttered, "I held back too much energy."

Vegeta smirked. "I think you're losing your touch, Frieza."

The evil alien didn't take the bait. "Is that what you think? It seems you still underestimate me. The planet may not have blown up, but it's still set for destruction. It won't last much longer. I'd say you have about five minutes tops before it goes kaboom and you're left to suffocate in the vacuum of space."

A shiver of fear ran through Vegeta, but he refused to show it. Instead, he put on his famous bluffing act. "Five minutes is nothing. It won't even take me that long to destroy you and escape this rock."

Frieza laughed. "Oh, Vegeta, you really have no idea, do you? You are very powerful, even stronger than I am right now, I'll admit, but you still have yet to see my true power. If you think you can beat me when I'm going all out, then you're sorely mistaken."

Vegeta couldn't help it. His saiyan instinct to fight the ultimate battle with his opponent took over, regardless of the danger at hand. "Is that so? Then why don't you stop beating around the bush and show your true power. When I defeat you, I want you to know that you were at your absolute best, and that it still wasn't enough."

Frieza grinned. The saiyan monkey had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Even if he couldn't defeat Vegeta at 100 percent of his true power, all he had to do was stale until the planet blew. There was no doubt that both he and Vegeta would survive the blast, but Vegeta would be left without any air, while he, Frieza, was able to breath in space, would be victorious.

"Very well, Vegeta. It's time you realized the true depths of Frieza!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Gohan, Tarble, and the others had made it back to the ship they had arrived in. They laid Bulma and Dende down on the floor inside the ship as they prepared for take off.

But even from miles away, they felt when Frieza unleashed his attack upon the planet. All of Planet Namek shook when Frieza attempted to destroy it, causing earthquakes, floods, and all kinds of natural disasters.

"What was that?" Gure asked fearfully.

A horrified look crossed Piccolo's face. "That attack, the amount of energy in it was strong enough to blow up a planet. Frieza's trying to destroy Namek!"

Tarble gulped nervously. "Thank God he wasn't successful."

Piccolo's long sharp nails dug into his palm. "He  _was_  successful. I can feel the planet dying. It's only a matter of time before it blows. We have to get out of here right now."

Gure gave a squeak of fright. "I'll… I'll get the ship started."

"Wait!" Piccolo cried. "I'm not leaving my people behind. There's only about a hundred of us on the entire planet. They can all fit on the ship. We're not leaving without them."

"Are you kidding?" Tarble cried. "We'll never be able to round them all up and make it back here before the planet blows."

"We don't have to." Piccolo told him. "They'll come to us."

Gohan looked surprised. "How?"

Piccolo smirked. "The powers of a Namekian have many uncharted territories." He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind to all his people, wherever they may be.  _'People of Namek,'_  he spoke telepathically,  _'this is Piccolo. We have an emergency. The tyrant that has invaded our planet and slaughtered our people has decided to destroy our world. We only have a limited amount of time before the planet blows. Fortunately, a few allies have a ship that can get us out of here before that happens. Feel my presence and come to where I am. We leave in three minutes.'_  He opened his eyes and turned to the others. "That should do it. They're on their way. I gave them a time limit before we leave, but they should all make it here before then."

"What about Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

"He knows the danger more than any of us." The Namekian told him. "If he can manage to defeat Frieza or at least get away from him, he'll take the ship and get out of there before the planet…" He trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as he felt Frieza's power jump to massive levels.

He wasn't the only one that sensed it either. Gohan had turned as pale as a ghost and Tarble looked like he was about to be sick.

"D-D-Do… do y-you… f-f-feel… t-th-that-t…?" he stuttered fearfully.

Gohan struggled to find his voice. "T-That's Frieza's energy."

Piccolo actually took a step back, away from the direction the incredible energy was coming from. "Just how strong is this guy?"

Trembling, Gure walked over to the unconscious Bulma and took the scouter off her face to examine the power level of the energy they were sensing. When she got a reading, she looked like she was going to faint.

"What is it?" Tarble asked, not sure he wanted to know. "What's his power level?"

Gure swallowed. "He just finished powering up." She looked terrified as she faced her husband. "It's reading at 12,000,000."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Vegeta stared at Frieza, having reached his full potential. He was somewhat disappointed. Frieza hadn't transformed, but he was bigger, and his muscles were enormous. He almost looked ridiculous with those bulging biceps.

"Well?" Frieza asked. "What do you think? Are you impressed?"

Vegeta's expression didn't change. "Is that really all you've got?"

Frieza looked angry at first, but then he grinned. "Your bluffs aren't going to work on me, Vegeta. But if you need a demonstration, I'll be able to show you."

He flew at Vegeta at a rapid pace, delivering a powerful blow to the saiyan. Several other punches followed before Vegeta was finally able to block and deliver a punch of his own to Frieza's jaw. Then the two became locked in battle, exchanging blows at speeds unfathomable.

Vegeta was actually surprised at how much Frieza's strength had increased. He knew Frieza was strong, but  _this_  was unreal. It was no wonder Frieza was known as the strongest being in the universe.

However, Vegeta's new power was great. He knew he could handle Frieza, even at 100 percent of his true power. The legend truly proved to be everything it was said to be and more. There was no power that could match that of a Super Saiyan.

The only problem now was time. Vegeta was confident that he could beat Frieza, but with the planet having been turned into a ticking time bomb, he didn't know if he would be able to win before it went off. Currently, that was the advantage Frieza had over him.

He stopped thinking as Frieza brought his balled hands down. His own hand shot up, catching Frieza's hand as his own hand punched Frieza in the gut, which he followed up by slamming his head into Frieza's face. The Icejin responded by kneeing him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, then holding up his hand and firing an energy blast.

Vegeta was pushed back by the attack, but managed to hold it off and toss it aside. Frieza was immediately upon him again, but Vegeta fooled him with an after image, going in for his own attack. Frieza mimicked him, also producing an after image, and slamming his elbow down on Vegeta's shoulder.

The saiyan prince went down, but he immediately pushed himself back up and slammed his feet into Frieza's chest, sending him flying. Even as he soared through the air, Frieza fired an energy blast, but Vegeta kicked it away and sped after him. The two resumed exchanging blows as they flew through the air, bursting through mountains as if they weren't even there.

Time was wasting. Already a minute had passed. There were four minutes left.

Frieza struck with what was left of his tail. It extended and wrapped around Vegeta's waist, pulling him towards the Icejin. They both punched outward as they came together, their fists collided. The shockwave from the collision sent them flying apart. With a distance between them, they both fired an energy blast.

The two attacks collided, each attempting to force the other back, but neither giving any ground. Vegeta and Frieza both slowly came closer together, their energy attack getting pressed between them until it finally couldn't be contained anymore and exploded.

Smoke obscured their vision, and Vegeta's ability to sense Frieza's energy came in handy as he detected where he was in the cloud of smoke while Frieza was blinded. A powerful kick sent him flying out of the cloud and slamming into the ground.

Jumping to his feet, Frieza reached out with his telekinetic powers. He seized control of an entire mountain, ripping it up from the ground and throwing it at Vegeta with his mind. Vegeta saw it coming, it was hard not to, and caught it. He was pushed back by its force as Frieza attempted to flatten him.

When he finally managed to stop its movements, he unleashed his energy, and the mountain shattered, sending a storm of rocks falling down around them. Frieza used his telekinesis on these rocks, chucking them at the saiyan prince. Vegeta batted them away, his punches and kicks completely reducing most of them to dust. A few found their mark, breaking apart upon making contact with the saiyan prince. He became frustrated and unleashed an explosion of energy, incinerating most of the flying rocks. Frieza came at him again, and the two resumed hand-to-hand combat.

Another minute passed. Only three remained.

As they exchanged punches, Frieza suddenly backed off and held up his hand as if to release an energy blast. Vegeta braced himself, but wasn't prepared for what happened. Instead of being hit by an attack, he was suddenly surrounded by a ball of energy.

Frieza laughed at the surprised look on Vegeta's face. "How do you like my Imprisonment Ball?" Without waiting for an answer, he began delivering powerful punches and kicks to the saiyan prince while he was unable to fight back. "I would advice against struggling too much. If this ball touches any other surface besides me, it goes boom."

Vegeta glared at him. "Does it work that way on the inside?"

He unleashed his power. The Imprisonment Ball held for a few seconds before bursting open, unable to hold Vegeta's power, much to Frieza's surprise. And while the Icejin was caught off guard, Vegeta began unleash a series of energy blasts against him. Frieza found himself unable to get away from the barrage, and so he unleashed his energy to create a barrier around himself.

When the attacks stopped, he let out a puff of breath combined with his energy to create a powerful tornado. Vegeta found himself caught within Frieza's Whirlwind Blow. While the saiyan prince was distracted with that, he raised his hand and unleashed his mighty Death Wave attack. Vegeta saw it coming and, using his super speed, was able to pull away from the tornado before the attack struck, and it was a good thing too as the attack created a fissure across the entire circumference of the already unstable planet, completely splitting it in two.

Soaring towards Frieza, Vegeta delivered a powerful blow to Frieza's face, then he did a back flip, kicking Frieza in the chin in the process, and once he was facing him again, he fired an energy blast. The attack sent Frieza flying, and the Icejin glared at the saiyan prince furiously.

Raising his hands over his head, he created a large pink ball of energy. It grew at a rapid rate, getting bigger than any attack Vegeta had seen the tyrant use. When Frieza threw it at him, Vegeta reached up to catch it. The palms of his gloves were completely incinerated, and even his hands were burned, but with a burst of strength, Vegeta managed to lift his foot and kick it up into space. The ball of energy went flying for miles before finally colliding with a nearby planet and completely obliterating it upon impact. Fortunately, it had been an uninhabited planet and no life was lost.

As Frieza and Vegeta came together again, the clock continued ticking.

Three minutes had passed. Only two remained.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Back at the spaceship, the last of the Namekians finally arrived. The ship was crowded, but thankfully it was able to fit all one hundred and something occupants. One of the crew members, surprisingly, was a certain frog that had once been one of Frieza's men, who had managed to sneak onboard undetected.

"That's the last of them." Piccolo told Gure. "Get us out of here, now!"

"On it!" the little alien told him, as the ship roared to life.

While the ship powered up, a certain elderly Namekian noticed the body of Dende laying on the floor. Horrified, Kami turned to his son. "Piccolo, what happened to Dende?"

The younger Namekian looked away shamefully. "It was Frieza. He saw that he hade healing powers, so he…"

Kami closed his eyes. "That monster." He knelt down by Dende's side, placing his hand on the boy's back. His eyes widened in surprise. "I don't believe it; he's still alive!"

"What?" Piccolo cried, surprised.

Kami nodded. "His life force is at its very end, but yes, he's still alive. If it hadn't been for our ability to regenerate, he would have died."

Closing his eyes, he transferred his own power into the boy. Dende's body pulsed and then went still, but there was now an obvious detection in his energy.

"He's really alive!" Gohan cheered happily, glad he hadn't left his friend, even though he'd thought that he really was dead.

"That's great." Said Tarble, meaning what he said, but still caught up in the danger at hand. "Now lets see if we can all get out of here alive. Gure!"

"Heading out now." She said. "Hang on everyone!"

Set to its fastest speed, the ship hovered in the air for a few seconds before flying off, heading into the reaches of space. As they left the planet, Tarble looked down at the dying green world.

"Good luck, brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: As I said in my Author's Note at the beginning, you're going to see something inaccurate. And, as most o you probably noticed, it was Frieza's power level. I'm fully aware that Frieza, at 100% has a power level of 120,000,000, not 12,000,000, however, for what I'm planning later, I had to decrease his power level. According to the Dragonball Wiki, in the GameCube game Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, Frieza's power level was brought down to 12,000,000, so I took that level for this fic. This also brings Vegeta's power level as a Super Saiyan down to about 15,000,000-16,000,000, so just keep that in mind, and you'll find out later why I did that.)


	41. The Final Blast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I had someone ask if I was going to continue this fic after Frieza. The answer is yes. I have one more villain that will be making an appearance. First we'll have some more chapters where Bulma and Vegeta interact, then we'll get to the final villain. So make sure you stay tuned. But for now, we'll get back to the battle between Vegeta and Frieza.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 41: The Final Blast**

Time became short as the battle raged on. Vegeta had stopped thinking about how long he had before the planet's destruction and just focused on his fight with Frieza. Even if he was given the choice to leave now and live, or stay and die, he would choose the latter. He couldn't help it, it was in his blood. He would finish this battle, no matter what the cost.

Frieza was not concerned with the remaining time. The planet's destruction was eminent, as was his victory once it finally blew. But he was becoming concerned that he may not actually last that long. He'd laughed off Vegeta's bluff that he'd be able to defeat him and leave before Namek was destroyed, but now he was beginning to believe that there was actually truth to that statement.

Vegeta's fist slammed into his jaw as they continued fighting, causing Frieza to stumble back. The taste of iron hit his tongue as his mouth was filled with his own blood. Spitting it out, he saw a tooth go flying out with it. Shocked, he turned back to Vegeta. The saiyan prince had taken substantial damage in the fight, equally as cut up and blood as he was, but Vegeta was still completely calm and confident.

When Vegeta feinted to attack, Frieza visibly winced. The movement made Vegeta grin and a victorious look crossed his face. "Well, I guess it's all over then."

Frieza blinked in surprise. "Over? What's over? What are you talking about?"

The saiyan prince chuckled. "You are. This battle is. Face it, Frieza, you've lost. I can feel your power decreasing with every blow. In fact, you're not even a challenge to me anymore. You're too scared and ashamed to go on. You're completely and utterly defeated. The only thing left to do is finish you off."

Anger and disbelief flashed across Frieza's face. "You… really think this battle is over? Fool! I am Frieza! No one is my equal!"

"You're right." Vegeta agreed. "I'm not your equal. I'm your  _superior_. The mighty Frieza was finally taken down," he grinned mockingly, "and by a mere  _monkey_ , no less."

Frieza looked murderous. "How dare you! I'll show you who the superior being is!"

Almost too fast to see, Frieza created a small pink energy disk. It grew several times larger and he threw it at the saiyan prince. Vegeta dodged, letting it pass right by him, but a finger movement from Frieza brought it right back. Vegeta sensed it a second too late, but managed to avoid it, only receiving a small cut across the cheek.

Frieza chuckled as the energy disk returned to him. "How do you like my Homing Destructo Disk? It can cut through absolutely anything, even the hardest substance in the entire universe."

Vegeta gave Frieza a disappointed look. "So, it's come to this? You're really going to resort to such cheap tricks to win?"

"We'll see what a cheap trick it is when it cuts you in half!"

He threw the disk again. Vegeta didn't bother to avoid it. Instead, he brought his hands together, catching the disk, one hand on top, the other on the bottom. Frieza's eyes widened in shock at this.

It was obvious that Vegeta was struggling to hold the disk, but he was able to keep it in from moving. "So, this is your ace in the hole. How truly pathetic."

Right before Frieza's eyes, he destroyed the disk with his own energy. He found the look on Frieza's face amusing, and had no problem showing it. This only infuriated Frieza further.

"So, my energy disk wasn't challenging enough for you." He grumbled. "Then lets see you handle two!" He created two other disks, one in each hand, and threw them at the saiyan prince. "Catch these, monkey!"

Vegeta didn't bother trying. He knew he couldn't catch both of them, so he flew off, but he was glad to know that he had made Frieza so desperate. The energy disks went after him, guided by Frieza's hand movements to follow his every move. He was fast, but the disks were slightly faster, and they were gaining on him.

Doubling back, he headed straight for Frieza with the disks hot on his trail. The Icejin looked amused as the saiyan prince came for him. It was obvious that he was going to pull up at the last second so the disks would hit him. Did the fool really think that he would fall for such an obvious trick?

No, Vegeta didn't expect him to fall for that. Instead, he fired an energy blast, aiming at the ground right in front of his opponent. Frieza was blinded as the blast created a cloud of dust from the explosion. He blinked through the dust, trying to see, only to find Vegeta right in front of him, still on the same path.

Frieza punched him, but his fist went straight through, and Vegeta's body faded away. An after image. And right behind it, coming out of the cloud of dust, were the two energy disks.

Acting on instinct, Frieza jumped straight up, letting the disks pass right under him. Damn Vegeta and his sneak attacks. He'd almost succeeded in slicing him in two.

Powerful arms suddenly wrapped around him as Vegeta caught him from behind. Frieza cried out as Vegeta's grip tightened, crushing him in a bear hug. He struggled to get away, but was unable to break the saiyan prince's grip. Instead, he slammed his elbow into Vegeta's gut. His grip loosened, but he didn't let go, so Frieza repeated the motion again and again until Vegeta's grip loosened enough for him to break free.

Whirling around, he punched Vegeta square in the face, then pummeled him in the gut. As he raised his hand to hit him again, Vegeta caught his fist in his left hand and raised his right.

"I'm going to bitch slap you!" he declared.

Frieza's head snapped side to side as Vegeta's open palm slapped against his cheeks again and again until they were a rosy red. Finally Frieza's other hand shot up, blocking the next slap. He then kicked Vegeta away from him and flew straight up, firing a blast of energy down at him.

Vegeta kicked upward, sending the blast right back at him. Frieza dodged the blast, his eyes following it as it sped past him. When he returned his gaze to where Vegeta was, the saiyan prince had vanished.

"Hey, Frieza, up here!"

Frieza looked up, but not fast enough as Vegeta dropped down from the sky, slamming his elbow down on the top of the Icejin's head, leaving a nice dent in it. Frieza went straight down, landing on his hands and knees with enough force to create a large crater. Furious, he looked up at Vegeta, ready to resume the fight.

"It's time to end this!" he bellowed

"You should stay down." Vegeta told him tauntingly.

Frieza didn't bother to respond as he jumped straight up. Suddenly, a blinding pain struck him. It happened so fast that he didn't even feel it at first, but it soon became apparent. It started in what was left of his tail going straight through, then hitting his back, passing through his entire torso, and finally his right arm.

All feeling from his chest down and half of his right arm vanished to be replaced by severe pain. Said arm, part of his tail, and his entire body from the middle of his torso fell away with a shower of blood as his energy disk cut straight through him.

"Told you to stay down." Vegeta said mockingly.

Frieza didn't even hear him, so shocked by the sudden pain and the realization of what just happened. "My own attack?"

He fell to the ground in four different pieces. The pain was excruciating, and his energy began draining rapidly. He was beaten, and he knew it.

Vegeta landed by the fallen alien, looking down at him in disgust. "My, my, how the mighty have fallen. It's no less than you deserve Frieza. This was a long time in coming, and I'm glad I was the one able to see you writhing around in pain and defeat."

Frieza spat out a mouthful of blood as the fingers on his remaining hand dug into the ground. He was getting weaker by the second, bleeding out, his life slowly but agonizingly ending.

"The merciful thing to do would be to put you out of your misery." Vegeta continued. "But I don't think you deserve a quick death. No, what you deserve is to lay there and suffer until the planet blows and ends your pathetic life. It won't be as satisfying as killing you myself, but I think I can live with the knowledge that you suffered greatly until your last breath." He took a calming breath and powered down, his hair and eyes returning to their normal color. "So long, Frieza. Enjoy the rest of your life, for however brief it is."

He began walking away, leaving the evil tyrant to slowly die. But Frieza managed to summon up the last of his strength to call out to the retreating saiyan. "Please… wait… Help me… please… You can't leave me… like this…"

Vegeta froze, stunned to hear his greatest oppressor to be begging for his life.

"Please… don't leave… me here to… die…"

Suddenly furious, Vegeta whirled around to him, all thought of escaping the dying planet leaving him. "You've got a lot of nerve! How dare you beg for my help after everything you've done to my people and me! What makes you think I would ever do anything to help you?"

Frieza's mouth worked to form words. "Forgive… me…"

Outrage filled the saiyan prince at the audacity of the dying Icejin. "Forgive you? Forgive you? There's not enough forgiveness in the entire universe for what you've done! How dare you beg for your life after all the people you've killed that begged for there's! You never spared a single person when they asked for their life! Why would you expect any better?"

He was on the verge of passing out, but he held on to deliver his next words. "Please… have… mercy…"

Vegeta scowled at him. "Fine. I'll show you mercy. The same mercy you've shown all your life. NONE!"

Having been disgusted enough, he took off. As appealing as it was to have Frieza begging him for his life, he didn't have the time. He had to get to Frieza's ship and leave the planet before he died along with the tyrant.

As Vegeta flew away, Frieza cracked an eye open. He couldn't believe he had actually been defeated. He, Frieza, taken down by a monkey. And cut down by his own attack, no less. How could this have happened? It was incomprehensible. Yet it had still happen. He was going to die, and if Vegeta made it off the planet in time, he would be able to brag about it to everyone.

No, Frieza couldn't stand for it. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to take Vegeta with him. He didn't care if he survived anymore or not, just as long as Vegeta went down with him.

He suddenly felt strength flowing into him. Was his anger giving him power, or was this just some extra energy he had in reserves?

He decided that he didn't care. He had strength again. With it, he would be able to live. His kind were known for their ability to ability to survive, and he would. He wouldn't let a dying planet defeat him. He'd go into space and float around until he recovered some more. But first, he would take down that arrogant saiyan monkey.

"You stupid saiyan monkey. Do you honestly think you've won? A fool like you couldn't comprehend my power and cunning. I am Frieza, the most illustrious fighter that ever lived. And you, you are nothing but a dumb ape." Taking aim at the fleeing saiyan, he summoned up all his remaining power for one last attack. "Now learn, learn what happens when you mess with most powerful being in the universe!"

He unleashed the rest of his power except for that which he needed to live in one massive beam of energy aimed directly at the saiyan prince. Vegeta would never have known it was coming. He had thought Frieza was defeated; left to die on the planet he himself had detonated. Never would he have expected a sneak attack. It was only his ability to sense another's energy that made him turn around to see Frieza's attack coming.

Infuriated at Frieza's nerve, he transformed into a Super Saiyan again and cupped his hands by his side. "Galick Gun!"

He unleashed his own attack and it collided with Frieza's, seconds before it would have hit. Frieza's attack was overpowered and immediately forced back towards the floating torso that the galactic overlord had become. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw both his and Vegeta's attack coming towards him. He didn't have the power to deflect or send it back, nor did he have the strength to move fast enough to avoid it. He could only cry out as he was blown away.

The land itself completely disintegrated and giant waves rose in the air from the shockwave. The water then flowed over where the area used to be, pouring down into a deep cavern that had been created from the blast.

The mighty Frieza was finally defeated.

Vegeta took a moment to take this in. Frieza was gone, destroyed, dead at last. The evil galactic overlord, ruler of the Planet Trade Organization, murderer of trillions of people, and the one who oppressed his people for countless years, had finally been beaten by a saiyan warrior. The legend tat the tyrant had always feared had come to pass and had done away with him once and for all. What this meant for the universe, Vegeta wasn't sure, but he didn't have time to think about it now.

Nor did he have time to float here and watch a giant hole fill up with water. It had to have been over five minutes by now. Frieza had miscalculated again. Namek had more time before it blew, but he had already pressed his luck too far. He had to leave, now!

With his Super Saiyan speed, he made it to Frieza's ship in record time, and was relieved to see it was still intact. Sort of. It was tipped on its side, falling into a crack in the planet. There was also the matter that it had a large hole in it from his and Frieza's fight earlier, but hopefully it would still work. And with a bit more luck, the part where the big hole was could be sealed off and he wouldn't be sucked out into space.

But luck wasn't on his side. The controls wouldn't respond. He couldn't even get any power on the damn thing. The ship was well and truly broken.

As was the planet, and it continued to shake apart. Massive earthquakes happened everywhere, and the ship slid further into the crack. And that's when he saw it. Tumbling down into the fissure was a saiyan space pod. It must have belonged to a member of the Ginyu Force. Perhaps luck was on his side after all.

Bursting straight through Frieza's already broken ship, he flew after the space pod, catching it before it crashed. He quickly flew back up to the planet's very unstable surface and set the ship down. He jumped inside and pressed in random coordinates, not caring where he was going as long as it was away from this planet.

The ship powered on and shot straight up and away. And that's when the planet exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: And that pretty much ends the Frieza Saga. Well get back to a few more chapters of Vegeta and Bulma interacting soon, then we'll get into the final arc. I'm just wondering how to fill in the gap. Guess we'll see.)


	42. Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Now that the initial battle is over and Frieza is out of the way, I can focus more on Bulma and Vegeta again. It's clear that Bulma is more important to Vegeta than he's letter on, otherwise he wouldn't have transformed, but we all new that already. We'll see how their relationship develops from here, once Vegeta makes it back. By the way, I had someone ask if Vegeta was going to end up on Planet Yardrat and learn Instant Transmission. That will NOT be happening.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 42: Waiting**

Bulma sighed as she continued working. She would have thought that she'd be finished with the repairs by now, but she was constantly distracted, thinking about a certain saiyan prince. It had been three months since they left Planet Namek, and Vegeta had yet to return. How many times now had she looked at the clouds, hoping to see him coming back?

She knew he was alive. After she had regained consciousness on board the ship, she had been filled in on everything that happened. Apparently, the legend of the Super Saiyan was true, and Vegeta had become one shortly after Frieza had shot her. With his newfound strength, Vegeta had become more powerful than Frieza, and, in a desperate attempt to destroy the saiyan, he had destroyed Planet Namek.

According to the others, Vegeta decided to stay behind to put a stop to Frieza once and for all. He was obviously successful. Kami, the newly elected leader of the Namekians, sensed when the planet exploded. He also sensed that Vegeta was still alive. And if he was alive, that meant that Frieza was dead.

Gohan told her that Vegeta had been planning on taking Frieza's ship and fleeing the planet after defeating the evil alien. If this was the case, then Frieza's ship must have been a lot slower than the one she and the others had been on, otherwise he wouldn't have been gone a whole month. They had even made a stop on their way home. They landed on another planet, which the Namekians decided to make their new home.

As a thank you for all that they did, the Namekians presented her with a mighty gift to repay for helping to save them. It made Bulma feel guilty for accepting it since they ended up losing their planet in the end, but they were just glad to still be alive. Bulma was also thrilled to find out that Dende had survived as well.

Afterwards, they had returned to newly restored Planet Vegeta. Had they not been told that it had been destroyed, they never would have suspected that anything happened at all. Porunga had restored everything to the way it was before, including the saiyans. And when they were informed of the events that happened on Namek, well, there was a big commotion to say the least.

Of course, Gohan and Tarble were the real celebrities since Vegeta was not there. Bulma and Gure basically got a pat on the head for their efforts. Typical saiyans. The only one who showed any real gratitude to the two of them was Goku, although he also couldn't help dotting on his son. He was so proud of the boy. As for Gohan's mother, she looked like she couldn't decide between smothering her son with affection in relief that he was all right, show her pride for his accomplishments, or punish him for the rest of his life for sneaking away in the first place.

Tarble was shown appreciation by the king for everything he'd done while he was away. The young saiyan's eyes had teared up as his father praised him, making Bulma wonder if the man ever once showed pride in his youngest son before. Of course, everyone was waiting for the true hero to return in all his Super Saiyan glory.

Including Bulma. She was waiting for the prince to return as well to sweep her off her feet. Sometimes, like now, she wondered why though. She later realized that she could have just dropped off Gohan, Tarble, and Gure, and then just flow the ship back to Earth. She didn't know why she hadn't thought about it at the time. It should have been the foremost thing in her mind. Escape had been at her fingertips, yet she hadn't thought about it. When they left New Namek and Gohan had commented on going home, it had been Planet Vegeta that Bulma had thought of.

Was this place home now? When had it stopped being her prison and become her home? What about Earth? What about her parents? What about Yamcha?

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Yamcha couldn't hold a candle to Vegeta. He was by no means a bad or inadequate boyfriend, but Vegeta had several better qualities. Not to mention he was especially good in bed… and in the shower, and on the floor, and up against the wall, and in the air, and-

She shook her head.  _'Inappropriate thoughts.'_  She scolded herself. A relationship was based on a lot more than sex, no matter how great. But were she and Vegeta in a relationship? Is that what it was called? Her status was still technically a slave, although she didn't necessarily feel like one. She was pretty much given free reign wherever she went, and some saiyans even seemed to reluctantly respect her after being told what happened on Namek.

But what about Vegeta? How did he see her? That was the million dollar question. Did he see her as a slave, a whore, a concubine, a lover, a girlfriend, a potential mate, what? He wasn't exactly the easiest person to read either.

According to Tarble, after Frieza had shot her, Vegeta had gotten really upset. He said that he had never seen his brother so devastated. And it was only after that that he had become a Super Saiyan. Was there some sort of connection? Evidence suggested that that was the case.

But that didn't give her any answers. Just where did she and the saiyan prince stand? She definitely felt that he had warmed up to her over time, but what were his true feelings? Thinking about it made her frustrated. The man was harder to read than a book written in a dead language.

Instead, she turned her thoughts inward, trying to figure out her own feelings for him. At the very least, she could say that she was fond of him. At the most, she could say that she was actually falling for him. That revelation had been a bit if a shock. The guy was a first class jerk. He had too many faults to count. He was rude, arrogant, obnoxious, far too serious, and downright infuriating to say the least.

Then again, she  _had_  always been attracted to the bad guys. Even when she had first met Yamcha, the guy had been a bandit. She liked to pretend that she was into the nice guys, but they always ended up in the 'friend zone'. It was the classic bad boy thing that she went for.

Still, there was a limit to how 'bad' someone was allowed to be in her book. When they had first met, Vegeta had been above that line, but he had mellowed out over time. She realized that stress and anger at constantly being abused by Frieza and his men most likely contributed to the way he was. Not that she blamed him for that, the fault was Frieza's, and he was gone now. Did that mean that Vegeta would mellow out even more now that his oppressor was gone? Maybe all the saiyans would. Well, in any case, she would certainly make sure that Vegeta got a different type of training when he got back, and that was in how to be a better person.

That aside, it still left her wondering what would happen between the two of them from here on out. She was still Vegeta's slave, but was she more than that. Yes, they had become lovers, but did that really mean anything? A female slave was often used for sex by their master, and what man wouldn't want someone like her; she was very beautiful, thank you very much.

But was that simply the case with her and Vegeta. She thought so at times, but she had also suspected that she meant something more to him. He never once told her that he cared for her, but she could tell. He didn't have to use words; he wasn't very good with them outside of a fight anyway. It was his actions that spoke of how he really felt.

She didn't want to get her hopes up though. Jumping to conclusions and making assumptions could result in getting her heart broken. For all she knew, Vegeta's supposed feelings for her could just be wishful thinking on her part. She had shared her thoughts with Gure, who had then voiced them to her husband, having never learned the privacy rules about 'girl talk' during her life as a slave. Tarble had then spoken to her on the issue, insisting that she really was more than a slave to his brother. Having known him all his life, he could read Vegeta better than anyone.

His words had made Bulma more confident, but she wasn't sure how much she could rely on what he said. Tarble was incredibly naïve about a lot of things.

"Bulma!"

Speak of the devil. She turned to the younger saiyan prince who had just burst into her room. "Tarble! Don't scare me like that. I almost dropped this thing. Do you know how long it took me to-"

"Vegeta's coming!" the saiyan interrupted.

"What?" She tossed aside the device she had been so dead set on fixing, hearing it break as it hit the wall, but not caring. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I can sense him. His ship is real close. Everyone is going to meet him."

He blinked and she was gone, racing down the hall. Tarble was impressed. For someone that never received any special training, she could sure move fast.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Every saiyan on the planet must have gathered around to see the arrival of their prince. It was only thanks to Tarble that Bulma was able to get as close as she did. And when the small round ship came crashing down and the saiyan prince stepped out, it was to a major uproar of saiyan warriors.

Things had become hectic after that. Everyone wanted to know exactly what happened in full detail, even though they had already heard most of the story from Gohan and Tarble. Vegeta's version was, of course, exaggerated quite a bit to make him seem much more spectacular, but Bulma expected that, simply rolling her eyes. He also left out several things, like how he had nearly wet his pants upon seeing Frieza when the Eternal Dragon vanished and how upset he had been thinking she had died.

For several hours it went on. Eventually there was a big feast in the prince's honor. Bulma ended up in the kitchen again for that since they needed the extra staff. It wasn't like she was even invited anyway. She didn't even get to speak to Vegeta once since he returned, and only got to see him from a distance. She supposed it should have been expected; he was a big celebrity now. She would just have to wait for things to die down.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She had returned to her room, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the bed and sleep for then next ten years. But after such a hard day's work, she felt in desperate need of a shower. And so she stripped down and entered the bathroom, letting the hot water pour down over her.

As she washed the shampoo from her hair, she suddenly felt a hard body press up against her. She gasped as hands circled around to her front, grabbing her breasts. She knew right away who it was. Even after three months apart, she knew Vegeta's touch and the feel of his body.

Lips pressed against her neck, and she tilted her head to give him better access. On of her hands reached back, her fingers tangling in his wet hair. As Vegeta kissed his way up her neck, over her cheek, and towards her lips, she slowly turned her head.

Their lips pressed together. She opened her mouth to him as his tongue begged for entrance, and he slipped inside. One of his hands ran down her body to the curls between her legs, finding her center, and she gasped loudly as they continued to kiss.

She slowly turned around in his arms, pressing herself up against him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you." She whispered against his lips.

"I can tell." He replied smugly.

' _Ass hole.'_  She thought. He could have at least said that he missed her too. From the way he was touching and caressing her, it was obvious that he had.

Vegeta seemed to know what she was thinking and said, "It's been three months since I've had a woman. I have needs."

"And a whole legion of lovely saiyan females who would love to share your bed, even for a single night." She pointed out. "Yet you came to me."

"You're my slave. It's more convenient that way."

"Liar."

Her glared at her, then returned his attentions to her breasts. "Believe what you want."

She smirked at his lame come back. Suddenly, she wasn't so tired anymore.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Later that night, the two laid together in a tangle of limbs in bed. Vegeta held her tightly and securely, his breath tickling the back of her neck as he slept. Bulma couldn't sleep, regardless of how tired she was. Her mind was in turmoil. Even though it had been months since they'd been together, she had felt something different in their lovemaking tonight. It had felt less like simply having sex and more like actually making love.

It brought back her thoughts of earlier when she was working before Tarble burst in to announce that Vegeta had returned. She still wasn't entirely sure about her feelings, or his. Did she really love him? Did he really love her?

Her hand went to her chest as she felt a phantom pain at the thought that Vegeta might not love her. She also thought to what she said to him earlier in the shower. Sure, she had just been joking when she said that there'd be countless women who'd be lining up to bed him, even if the statement was true, but when she said it, she had felt something that was unmistakably jealousy.

' _Imagine that. Me jealous over a bunch of women for Vegeta's affection.'_

Yet she couldn't help what she felt. But falling for one's captor, wasn't that Stockholm Syndrome? Oh, why did it have to be her? She'd had such a good life back on Earth as a scientist, and a great boyfriend. How had that changed to a life on an alien planet as a slave, and falling for an arrogant saiyan prince?

Then her thoughts drifted back to him. Her feelings probably wouldn't mean much of anything if he didn't return her affections. He was a prince; she was a slave. That was about as impossible as any relationship could get. True, the king had allowed Tarble and Gure to be together, but he hadn't held the younger prince in such high regards, not like Vegeta.

Then again, Vegeta was several hundred thousand times stronger than his father, not to mention he was a Super Saiyan, and the one who delivered his people from Frieza. If he really wanted something, then he probably wouldn't let his  _daddy_  stop him.

She sighed. She was getting too far ahead of herself. She wasn't sure of her own feelings, let alone Vegeta's. Tarble had insisted that he cared for her, but she wanted to hear those words from Vegeta's mouth.

She snickered at the thought. Vegeta would never openly confess his feeling. The  _only_  way she could get him to confess was if she backed him into a corner and forced an answer out of him.

"You're still awake?"

She tensed up. Had she woken him up when she snickered? "Can't sleep."

He chuckled. "And I thought you were  _so_  tired. You should be even  _more_  considering our activities."

She blushed horribly. "About that. You said it was more convenient to come to me since I was your slave."

"So?"

She turned over in his arms. "So what's the real reason?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, woman?"

"You're a damn hero. You could probably have had a threesome or a foursome, hell, probably an all out harem orgy, yet you came to the pathetic earth girl."

"You certainly have a crude mouth." He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. "I can think of better uses for it."

She frowned down at him. "I'm serious, Vegeta. I'm sure no girl would deny you."

"Including you?"

She playfully smacked him. "Be serious."

"I am serious." He told her, his voice no longer teasing. "I have no desire to have a bunch of women making advances on me; it's far too bothersome. I'm satisfied with having one female."

She placed a kiss on his chest. "So why me? Even if you want only one partner, why pick me out of all the women who'd kill to get in your bed?"

Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled them over. "Is it so hard to believe that I want you? You are very desirable, and you're completely mine."

It wasn't a confession, but it left Bulma with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and it wasn't because he was now trailing kiss along her neck.

"I think I should get a say in that." she found herself saying.

She gasped as he nibbled on her ear. "Do you now?" He chuckled. "Once I'm done with you, there won't be any doubt in your mind of who you belong to."

Afterwards, she didn't have any trouble falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Seems like Vegeta opened up more than he meant to, or at least Bulma was able to read deeper into his emotions than he was letting. She'll probably never get him to say "I love you", but she knows that; it's not in his character. But he has made it clear that he wants her over any other woman, even his own kind. How do you think that will sit with his father?)


	43. Bulma Takes Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: In this chapter, Bulma finally has enough of being belittled and she attempts to make a place for herself to show that she's not insignificant. But how will she do that when everyone else is so much stronger than her? Why, through science of course.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 43: Bulma Takes Control**

Things eventually went back to normal after Vegeta returned. Of course, there was the lack of the Planet Trade Organization hanging over their heads, though that was a good thing. But the saiyans were still saiyans.

The king had even given Bulma a new job. She was to do research on Vegeta to see how and why he was able to become a Super Saiyan. This included various tests and blood samples that the saiyan prince was far from happy about, but still tolerated, then went right back to training.

Bulma learned a lot as she dug deep into "Saiyan Biology 101". They were truly fascinating creatures, very similar to the human race. She found very interesting things imprinted in their DNA. For example, a saiyan's ability to become stronger after every battle was due to a gene called Zenkai.

Another interesting aspect was a saiyan's hair. Excluding facial and other body hair, the hair on a saiyan's head was always remained the same length as it was the day they were born. She wondered if there was something buried deeper in there that was related to the Super Saiyan state since it changed gold upon transforming.

She took a great interest in a saiyan's ability to transform. She discovered that their Great Ape form was triggered when the saiyan eye absorbed at least 17,000,000 zenos of a celestial light called Blutz Waves that the moon reflected when it was full. The glands in a saiyans tail were what initiated the transformation. The size of the transformed saiyan ranged from 50 to 100 feet tall, and their power was equal to ten times greater than the saiyan was before the transformation.

As for the Super Saiyan transformation, it seemed that all saiyans had the gene imprinted in their DNA. From what her researched showed, the transformation came in response to a need, either by depression or indignation, powered by rage. This could explain why a Super Saiyan becomes more aggressive, as her research on Vegeta showed. And while in the transformed state, a saiyan became 50 times more powerful. When she took a reading of Vegeta's power in his normal state, she saw that he had a power level of 430,000. This made his power level 21,500,000 in the Super Saiyan state.

Of course, this was his current reading, he had become even stronger since facing Frieza, so he obviously hadn't been as strong as he was now back on Namek. She checked the records she installed in the scouter and saw that his power level back then had been reading at 16,000,000, so he had a power level of 320,000 at base back then. No wonder he beat Frieza. Gure had told her that Frieza at his best had a power level of 12,000,000, and the records in the scouter confirmed this.

One of the mostly surprising things of all was that there seemed to be different branches of the Super Saiyan gene. She wasn't sure, but she was able to theorize that this meant that there were different levels to the Super Saiyan transformation. She thought it would be best to keep silent about this for now until she could confirm her theory. Knowing Vegeta, he would try and access these theoretical other stages when they may not even be there to access.

She learned many more things over the weeks since beginning her research on Vegeta's Super Saiyan form, and came up with many theories that she shared with Vegeta and the king. And one day an interesting thought occurred to her.

She began to wonder about the creature in the dungeon. Vegeta had told her that he was a direct descendant from the original Super Saiyan, some guy named Broly. And after trying to create another Super Saiyan, multiple experiments had been done while the creature was still a fetus to see if it could be done, which resulted in the creature's grotesque appearance, incredible power, and total insanity.

Although what the saiyans had done to that creature was terrible wrong, she couldn't help but wonder what secrets would be hidden away in his DNA. She could find even deeper secrets to the Super Saiyan, or maybe learn some more scientific facts that an ordinary saiyan lacked that she could apply to her research. If she could only get a blood sample…

But when she spoke to Vegeta about this, he had flat out refused. He'd told her that the creature was to be left imprisoned, and that the only reason it was still alive was out of respect for its heritage and power, which Bulma discovered was even greater than Vegeta's in his Super Saiyan form.

She wouldn't take no for an answer though, and constantly brought up the subject, insisting that it would be even more helpful to her research, yet the saiyan prince's answer remained the same. Even the king turned down her request, actually telling Bulma that the creature should never have been brought back to life when the rest of the saiyan race was revived. But she was adamant, and might even have risked going down there herself if it weren't so dangerous.

But a week or two later, something happened that brought Bulma to a rash decision. It wasn't a single thing, but a combination of things that brought her to her actions.

The first contribution was something that every woman went through. Even here on Planet Vegeta, she still got her monthly visits from her so-called "aunt". It was the one thing she hated about being a woman, and it made her incredibly irritable.

The second contribution was how stressed out she was. She reached a critical point in her research, the part that triggered the initial transformation to a Super Saiyan, and the king demanded answers. She'd gotten very little sleep over the past few days on top of it and was incredibly grouchy.

The final contribution came from the saiyans. Now free from Frieza, they were more arrogant and stuck up than ever. Bulma had gotten the misfortune of running into a particularly nasty group of saiyans. A single comment from one of them had Bulma retaliating, and she was soon locked in a heated shouting match with the group. It ended with a particular mean comment from one of the saiyans, who then pushed her down, leaving her feeling humiliated.

Feeling put down and moodier than ever, she decided to do something drastic. She was going to get her way, and she was going to prove her worth at the same time, and no saiyan, royal or otherwise, was going to tell her differently.

Fuming the whole time she worked, she spent the next several hours working on a special device. And once she was finished with it, she snuck down to the dungeons. She wouldn't realize until later how stupid and dangerous what she was doing had been.

Punching in the code, she opened the door. This time, she was not going to get locked in. Opening a capsule, producing a light generator, she set it down in front of the door to prevent it from closing, and crept into the room.

Heavy breathing was heard, and Bulma saw the large creature sleeping in the corner. That would make things easier. She could just sneak up on him.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a golden ring. Slowly she approached the creature, listening carefully for a change in its breathing. When she was standing right next to it, something furry hit her leg. Her hand covered her mouth, preventing a scream from escaping. Looking down, she saw the creature's tail wrapped around her ankle.

' _Well that's just great!'_  she thought.

She gave her leg a tug, trying to pull it out of the tail's grip, but it only wrapped tighter. She gulped and glanced at the creature. It continued sleeping. She carefully bent down and unwound the tail from her ankle. The creature had such a strong grip that it took an effort to pry the tail off. When she finally did, she sighed in relief. Glancing at the creature again, the color drained from her face. The creature's large red eyes were open and looking right at her.

Bulma was frozen. It was awake. The creature was awake! And she was holding onto its tail. Wait, its tail. That was a saiyan's weakness.

She squeezed the tail as hard as she could. She and the creature stared at each other for a few seconds before the creature lifted its tail in the air, taking Bulma with it as she held on. With a flick of the tail, she was sent flying across the room. Apparently, this creature didn't share the weakness of having its tail grabbed. Vegeta had said it was possible for a saiyan to get rid if this weakness through training. Maybe this creature had been born without that weakness since it was genetically altered.

The creature got to its feet, roaring loudly. It stomped towards her, but was stopped by its chains. It opened its mouth to launch a blast of energy, but the attack was sucked into its energy draining cuffs. It seemed as if as long as she prevented the creature from taking hold of her that she would be ok.

"H-Hey, big guy…" she said hesitantly. "Um, you are a boy, right?" From what she could tell, the creature seemed to be sexless, and she only received a roar as a reply. "Ok, we'll go with a boy. You're probably tired of being down here all alone. Well I think I can help you." She held up the ring. "I just have to…"

She stretched her arms out, not wanting to get close. The creature went wild, attempting to get at her, but was held back. She lunged, fastening the ring around its neck. She couldn't get it on completely due to the cuff that was already around it. The creature thrashed about more violently, and the momentum sent Bulma flying. She landed hard on the ground, looking over her shoulder at the creature. It was towering over her, and she was well within its reach.

Looking at the creature's neck, she saw that the ring was still around it, but not closed. She would just have to make due with that.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a golden wristband that she placed on her hand. Holding it up towards the creature, she activated it, just as the creature reached for her. The jewel on the band began glowing, as did the jewel on the ring.

The creature froze, its body trembling. Bulma increased the intensity using only her mind, the device's power reacting to her brainwaves. Slowly, the creature began to calm down. Its aggressive posture dropped and its breathing slowed down. Slowly it lowered its arms and just stared at her.

Bulma took a few calming breaths and studied the creature. Its body language didn't show any hostility. Had the control device worked?

"Hey, big guy? You ok now?" The creature made a grunting noise in reply. She wondered if it even understood her. "Can you understand me?" She received another grunt in reply. "Ok, blink once for yes and twice for no."

A few seconds passed and the creature blinked once. If it took that long for it to reply, that meant it probably blinked because it had to and not to answer her.

She glanced at her wristband. She had designed it so that the wearer of the ring would respond to her brainwaves. In theory, she should be able to somewhat transfer her thoughts to the creature to give it some sort of impression of what she want. It didn't seem too smart, but it should be able to pick up what she wanted from it.

' _Him.'_  she told herself. She didn't want to think of the creature as an 'it'. That just seemed mean.

She mentally activated the device. "Can you understand me? Nod your head if you can." The creature nodded, and she beamed. The device was really working. She pointed to herself. "I am Bulma. Who are you?" The creature cocked its head to the side. "Don't you have an name?"

She received another grunt in reply. She took that as a no. She guessed she should have expected it. Why would anyone name a monster that they planned to keep locked away?

"Hmm, lets see. Guess I'll have to give you one." She tapped her chin. "Hmm, lets see. You're a descendant of Broly. Maybe I should name you after him. Ok, so from now on, your name is Broly."

"Burori." The creature mimicked.

"Broly."

"Burolli."

She sighed. "Well, you get the idea." She pointed to herself again. "My name is Bulma."

"Balam."

"Bul-ma."

"Buruma."

"Close enough."

The creature, newly named Broly, cocked his head to the side. The ring around his neck loosened some from the movement, causing Bulma to squeak in fright.

"Um, let me just fix that for you."

She reached up to his neck. She saw that there was no way to fasten the ring with the cuff on. Fortunately, no key was needed to unlock it. The lock simply needed to be twisted. With his hands also chained, the creature had been unable to undo them himself.

After removing the cuff around his neck, she properly secured the ring. "There we go. Now, if you promise to be good, I can take the others off too. Do you promise? Nod if you do."

He did, and she removed the remaining cuffs. Standing back, she looked up at him and smiled. Broly tested his body, moving in ways he couldn't before when he was chained.

As Broly was relishing in his newfound freedom, Bulma was grinning evilly. This was certainly going to change things. It seemed as if the only thing these saiyans understood was power; the more powerful, the greater the respect. Now she was in control of this big guy. She liked to see those rotten saiyans bully her around while she had Broly on her side. Oh, she couldn't wait to show him off to the others.

"Come on, lets go meet your people." At his confused, she clarified. "The other saiyans."

"Saiya-jinns?"

"Yeah, you're a saiyan too… sort of." She held out her hand form him to take. He grabbed it, gripping far too tightly. Bulma yelped and tried to pull her hand away. "Not so tight, not so tight!"

Blinking, he loosened his grip. Bulma sighed in relief and led him out of the room. It was time to introduce Broly to his people. Oh, she was really going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I know this seems a little out of character for Bulma, but you know how she gets when she's angry, and how confident she is with her inventions and such. Truthfully, I wasn't planning on doing anything further with Bio-Broly since he was last mentioned in chapter 15. Wow, I've come a long way since then. Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out, the ring that she put around Broly's neck is supposed to be a modified version of the one the real Broly wore from the movie that Paragus used to control him. Now, imagine the looks on everyone's faces when she goes waltzing through the palace with her new friend. No one would dare to mess with her with him under her control… well, except for maybe a certain saiyan prince.)


	44. Bulma's New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, after last chapter, we've all established that what Bulma did was rather foolish. Yes, I'm aware. Anger plus overconfidence doesn't mix well with Bulma. This chapter gets rather humorous towards the end. Hope you enjoy it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 44: Bulma's New Friend**

Bulma led Broly through the palace, heading for the dining area. She passed a few servants on the way who stared at them with open mouths. She even ran into Shamo, who had dropped the pile of dishes he was carrying.

"B-B-B-Bulma… wha-what-what are you… d-d-d-doing?" he stuttered fearfully.

"Going to dinner." She said simply, as if she weren't leading a genetically altered monstrosity by the hand.

Right before entering the dining hall, she heard a crash, followed by, "You stupid slave!"

She recognized that voice. That was Raditz. No doubt causing trouble again. Letting go of Broly's hand, she entered the dining hall. Several saiyans were sitting at the table, including Vegeta and his father. She saw Raditz a short distance away, and saw that she was right about him being the one causing trouble.

A slave she thought was named Berry was laying on the ground while Raditz stood over him, pinning him down with his foot.

"I said I wanted red wine, not white." Raditz scolded.

"I'm terribly sorry!" Berry wailed. "I got your drink mixed up with someone else's."

"Well, that makes you twice as foolish. I wanted red wine. Do you know what color red is? It's the color of your blood. Maybe I need to make you bleed so you can see."

Bulma marched over to him. "Hey, buster, leave him alone."

Raditz glanced at her. "Well, look who it is, Vegeta's little whore."

At the head of the table, Vegeta glanced at him. "Raditz." He growled in warning.

Raditz tensed. "Sorry, sire." He looked back at Bulma. "You're lucky you have the prince's favor."

She pointed a finger in his face. "I don't need his favor! I can take care of things myself! And I still haven't forgiven you for sending me to get killed in the dungeons that day!"

Raditz chuckled. "And just what are you going to do about it?"

She smirked. "Well, turnabout is fair play. Meet my new friend."

She sent a command into the wristband, and Broly came marching in the room. Several saiyans cried out and backed away as the bio-warrior stood next to Bulma.

King Vegeta jumped to his feet. "Woman, what in the hell are you thinking? How could you let that monster out?"

She smirked. "You mean Broly? He's nothing but a big softy."

The king took a step towards her threateningly. "Do you have a death wish? That creature is a raging psychopathic animal!"

Sensing a threat, Broly growled. Through the wristband, Bulma felt him losing control. She held up her hand, activating the wristband. "Behave, Broly." A few seconds passed and Broly seemed to regain control and settle down. Bulma smiled. "Good boy. Now, you sit down and have something to eat."

Broly grunted and looked at the food, then began shoveling it into his mouth. The saiyans backed away from him, some even fleeing the room.

"Just what do you think you're doing, girl?" the king roared.

"Relax." She told him. "I've got it under control." She held up her hand, showing him the wristband. "See this bracelet, its connected to the ring around his neck. That ring suppresses his power and suppresses his destructive nature. He won't go berserk as long as he wears that. And with this device, I can mentally control him if he ever goes off. Don't worry, he won't hurt anyone, trust me." She laughed in spite of herself. "I really am a genius!"

King Vegeta took another step towards her. "Give me that."

Bulma crossed her arms. "You're welcome to take it from me, but it won't work for you. As a safety precaution, I programmed it to only respond to my brainwaves. Unless I change its programming, it won't work for anyone else."

The king's fists clenched. "You insolent girl…"

"Look!" she snapped. "I am so sick and tired of being unappreciated and disrespected around here! You never give me credit for anything! Sure, you give me props for being smart, but you just exploit my intelligence! Well, now  _I_  have control over the most powerful person here! That makes me more powerful than all of you!"

The king looked like he was ready to kill her, but the sight of Broly beside her kept him in check. Instead he glanced at his son. "Vegeta, control your woman."

The prince seemed to come out of a daze. "I'll deal with it, Father."

He marched over to her. Bulma just smirked at him. "Got something to say, your highness?"

He grabbed her arm. "Come with me."

Broly growled loudly and stood up, towering over Vegeta. The saiyan prince didn't back down. Instead, he transformed into a Super Saiyan. "Stay out of my way!"

Broly roared and brought his fist down. Vegeta moved away, pulling Bulma with him as Broly's fist punched through the floor. He was getting hostile.

"Broly, calm down?" Bulma said, activating the wristband. But Broly seemed to be losing control, so she increased the intensity. "I said calm down!" Broly continued growling, but his growls got softer until he fell silent. "That's a good boy. Everything is ok. This is Vegeta."

"Bezituh." Broly mispronounced, and then he sat down and began eating again.

Bulma smiled and glanced at the king. "See, he's fine."

"Come with me!" Vegeta snarled, dragging her out of the room.

Bulma remained silent as the saiyan prince dragged her along. No doubt there would be hell to pay for her little stunt, but it was worth it. She had struck fear into the saiyans. The king himself had been helpless to act against her with Broly by her side. Maybe when things cooled off, she would even start to get some respect around here since she now controlled a creature stronger than all of them. Broly had a power level of 220,000,000 while Vegeta's was several million levels lower in his Super Saiyan form. Broly may not be able to access his full power while wearing the control device, but they didn't need to know that.

Throwing the door to their room open, Vegeta tossed her on the bed. "Would you mind explaining to be just what's gotten into that head of yours?"

Sitting up, Bulma crossed her arms and turned away. "What? I told you that I needed him for my research. Now I have complete access to him, and we don't need to worry about him going ballistic and destroying everything. Besides, it was cruel to keep him locked away like that, even if he is a monster. He can't help it if he's insane. It's your people's fault for doing experiments on him."

"That has nothing to do with it. You know first hand how dangerous that creature is. How could you risk your life going down there alone?"

She turned back to him, smirking. "Gee, it almost sounds like you care."

Vegeta growled. "Damn it, I'm not going to let you endanger yourself like that. Next time I say, no, I mean no!"

She stood up. "You don't get to order me around!"

"You're my sl-"

"If you say I'm your slave, I'll set Broly on you!" She held up her hand with the wristband. "And I can do it too."

Vegeta growled. "What's gotten into you? You've been moody for the past couple of days. Just what is your problem?"

The words came out of Bulma's mouth before she even thought about them. "For someone claiming to know so much about women, you're certainly lacking in information. Maybe it's because your saiyan women are cranky all the time, so you don't notice a difference each month."

Confusion mixed with Vegeta's anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Now she felt even more irritated for embarrassing herself. "None of your business! It's a female thing."

"What's a female thing?"

"Forget it!"

"Tell me, damn it!"

"Go to Hell!"

Vegeta's power flared, sending furniture flying. He marched over to her and picked her up by her shirt. "Woman, you will give me an answer!"

Bulma's temper snapped. "I'M ON MY PERIOD, YOU STUPID JACKASS!"

Vegeta blinked and set her down. "On your what? What the hell is a period?"

"Are you kidding me?" she screamed. "Don't you know where babies come from?"

"What do babies have to do with anything?"

Bulma pulled her hair in aggravation. "Oh my god! How stupid are you? Even though you're a guy, someone your age should know what I'm talking about, unless you saiyans operate differently."

"Will you just tell me what you're talking about!"

"Fine! On earth, women go through these things called menstrual cycles!"

It was embarrassing, and the more she spoke, the more embarrassed she got. But she found that once she started, she couldn't stop. If she did, then the awkwardness would really settle in, and no doubt Vegeta would have something to say that would humiliate her even further. Damn it, why did she have to lose her temper like that?

Vegeta listened to her talk with his arms crossed and a neutral expression on his face. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking. He just let her keep rambling.

But eventually she ran out of things to say and was forced to come to a conclusion to her long speech. When she finally fell silent, the only sounds that were heard were here heavy breathing and the pounding of her heart.

Finally, the saiyan prince spoke. "So what you're saying is that you're on your monthly bleed."

Bulma stared at him. She was at a complete loss for words. The way he said that made it sound like he knew what she was talking about. "You… you mean… you knew what I meant?"

"Of course I knew what you meant. I don't know why you didn't simply say so."

"I did say so!" she shouted. "I told you I was on my period!"

"A period comes at the end of a sentence. I've never heard it in reference to anything else. How was I supposed to know that you were referring to your monthly bleed?"

Something occurred to her. "Wait a second… you mean…?"

He smirked. "I figured out what you were talking about a few seconds after you started your long speech."

"YOU ASS HOLE!" She began pounding her fists against his chest. "Don't you know how embarrassing that was? Why didn't you stop me once you figured it out? Were you trying to embarrass me?" His grin widened. "YOU BASTARD! You  _were_  trying to embarrass me!"

"Not so much fun when you're the one being humiliated."

"If you're referring to what happened back in the dining hall, I was simply making a point and trying to prove myself! But you can't even let me have that small victory, can you? You miserable son of a-"

He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "You know, you're really sexy when you're angry."

Then he suddenly pulled her towards him and kissed her. Bulma's eyes bulged out and she struggled in his grip, trying to pull away, but Vegeta held her tightly. She tried to scream at him, but he just swallowed her protests as his tongue invaded her mouth.

Finally having to breathe, they broke apart. Bulma's face was flushed, and she was breathing hard. "You're such an ass hole."

"And you love it." he told her, pushing her down to the bed. "And I love it when you're feisty."

"Bastard. You think I'll sleep with you after what you just did to me?"

"Oh, I don't think, I know you will."

"Go to Hell."

He chuckled. "Just consider it part of your research. I have yet to take you as Super Saiyan. I'm actually even bigger in this form."

She blushed. "W-What's that have to do with research."

He kissed her again, nibbling on her lower lip. "Going down to the dungeon to see that creature, even against our orders, shows me how dedicated you are to your research. And my father wanted you to do research on  _every_  aspect of a Super Saiyan." His hand slipped under her shirt, grabbing one of her breasts. "That includes this."

She shut her eyes as he worked her into a frenzy. "I hate you."

"No, you don't."

She was silent for a moment. "No… I don't…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Bulma's got some power backing her up now, but she's still powerless against Vegeta. Although she pissed off the king. Vegeta got pretty ticked too, but she gained a great deal of respect from him. How will things progress from here?)


	45. A Prince's Duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yeah, I got nothing to say today.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 45: A Prince's Duty**

"You want to what?" Bulma asked in disbelief.

Vegeta leaned against the wall with his arms crossed stubbornly. "You heard me. I want to fight Broly."

Bulma cut her eyes at him. "And how did things change from not going anywhere near him to wanting to fight him?"

He glanced at her. "You said that you control him."

Bulma gulped. "Well… yeah, but only to a certain extent. He can't really communicate, but I can express what I want through the control device, whether he actually does it or not is up to him. Really, the only thing I have control over is his power."

"His power is what I want." Vegeta stated. "He's the only one that can stand up to me in my Super Saiyan form. I want a real challenge."

"So fight Goku. Isn't he your normal opponent?"

"Kakarot provides a decent challenge in my base form, but I want to face someone as a Super Saiyan. That leaves Broly as the only option."

Bulma tapped her index fingers together. "But it could be dangerous. Broly's madness and thirst for destruction is mostly due to having been born too powerful; it affected his mental health. He can't control himself. Even with the control device on him, if I give him access to his true power, he'll still lose control."

Vegeta smirked at her. "So then you were bluffing. Broly is mostly for show. You can't use him to fight your battles at all."

Bulma stood up. "That's for against any of the saiyans. They have power levels in the high thousands. Broly can handle accessing that much power without losing control. But to go up against you as a Super Saiyan, you're talking about him accessing power levels into the millions!"

He raised an eyebrow and walked over to her. "So you're saying that it's too risky to give him too much power. Well, that may be fine if you want to use him against anyone else." He raised his hands, caging her to the wall. "But what about me? What happens if I threaten you?"

Bulma blushed and turned away. "I… well… that is…" She muttered something inaudible.

"What's that?" he asked.

Her cheeks reddened further. "I said I don't consider you a threat."

That damn arrogant smirk crept up his face again. "That's a serious miscalculation on your part. For someone so smart, you made a very big mistake." He leaned in and whispered haughtily in her ear. "I'm the most dangerous one of all." His words sent a shiver down her spine, promising her things to come. Then he suddenly backed off, that grin still plastered to his face. "So be a good girl and have him ready for battle."

Arousal turned to anger as he turned his back on her. She grabbed the nearest object she could find and threw it at him. "You're such a jerk!"

He caught the object without even turning around. Still smirking, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "You just attacked the prince. I'll have to punish you for that later."

She flushed darkly and was then obscured from view as the doors closed behind her. He chuckled at her expression. He loved pushing her buttons, and he was still debating whether he enjoyed her embarrassed or her angry face better. Although neither one was his favorite. No, the look he enjoyed seeing on her face the most was when it was filled with passion and pleasure.

He frowned at the thought. He was becoming far too attached to the girl. Or, to be more precise, he was  _already_  far too attached to her. And that wasn't a good thing. He'd taken lovers before, slave, saiyan, or otherwise, but he had never stayed with them long. Nowhere near as long as her. In fact, he had found himself wanting to be with her even more, and this did not sit well with him.

Maybe, if she were a saiyan, it wouldn't be so bad. As a member of the royal family, he was required to take a mate and produce an heir at some point. He hadn't thought much of it in the past. No woman had ever held his attention long, and never beyond sexual interest. He had always consider the thought of taking a mate as a duty to his people, not something he would do out of want.

He never found the thought of taking a mate appealing, and he still didn't. But he wanted to keep Bulma to himself. She was  _his_ , and nobody else's. He wouldn't let her go, and he wouldn't let anyone take her away, not even his own father.

But not because he wanted her as a mate! That's what he kept telling himself. He just wanted her in general. Everything of her belonged to him. He wouldn't let her leave even if she wanted to. If she ran away, he would hunt her down and bring her back.

Pushing such thoughts aside, he entered the throne room. Earlier, he had expressed his desire to fight Broly to his father, and the king had been fine with it. Now they just needed to make some arrangements. If his battle with Frieza was anything to go by, then fighting in his Super Saiyan form meant that a lot of destruction was in store.

The king looked at his son as Vegeta entered. After the prince bowed, he motioned for him to approach. "Well?"

Vegeta smirked. "She claims that it could be dangerous to unleash too much of his power. He may lose control."

"I figured as much." The king replied. "But she can control the amount of power he has access to, right?"

"It seems so, but she's against taking the chance. I'm sure I convinced her otherwise though."

The king raised an eyebrow at this. "When you say 'convinced her', how exactly did you go about doing this?"

Vegeta blinked, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

The king sighed. His response was all the answer he needed. "Vegeta, you seem to be getting very… attached to this girl."

Vegeta tried to look uninterested. "She is my slave."

"Exactly!" the king replied. "She's a  _slave_. Nothing more. Don't forget that. She is beneath you."

The prince frowned. Station-wise, he agreed with his father, but Bulma matched him in every other aspect. From her temper, to her determination. Not to mention in the bedroom, or anywhere else he decided to have his way with her. If only she were a saiyan.

The king kept talking. "I'm getting concerned with your relationship with her. She is an attractive woman, and I know you have needs, but be careful."

"I've taken slaves to my bed before." Vegeta pointed out.

"But not for so long. You've always discarded any female you've had in the past after a while. You know the consequences of bedding the same female too many times for too long."

Vegeta remained silent. Of course he knew. He wasn't stupid.

"You cannot Bond with her." the king continued. "The mate of the prince must be a pureblooded saiyan. Anything less will taint the bloodline. Taking a temporary concubine is one thing, but  _temporary_  is the key word."

"You gave her to me." Vegeta reminded him. "Did you think I wouldn't make use of her in such a way?"

"I thought you would, but I also thought that you would grow bored of her like your other conquests and turn your attention elsewhere like you always do."

Vegeta fumed. His father had a point. He had thought that he would grow tired of her as well. But he only seemed to want her more. He also felt… connected to her on an emotional level that was different from his other partners. He seemed to… care about her.

The king watched his son. "I'll admit that she's more than a common slave and has been very useful to us, but she can never be your mate."

"I never said I wanted her to be!" Vegeta snapped, harsher than he meant to.

The king glared at him. "Then you can no longer have a physical relationship with her. At this point, your body will begin to recognize her as your mate. As long as I am king here, I will not allow it. We need a  _pureblood_  on the throne."

For some reason, Vegeta suddenly felt furious at his father. "Then perhaps you shouldn't have allowed Tarble to mate with that other slave."

The king stood up threateningly. "Tarble has abdicated any remote chance to take the throne in favor for that girl. He is no longer royalty, and he was unfit for it to begin with. You are the crown prince, and you will behave as one. Stop fooling around with that woman and turn your attention to your own kind."

Vegeta had to resist the urge to transform. "I will do as I wish with my slave."

The king's eyes flashed angrily. "Be warned, my son, if you choose to continue having a physical relationship with this woman and you end up Bonding with her, I will not accept a half-breed as the heir to the throne. If I must, I will force you to produce a child with a saiyan woman, no matter how against a saiyan's nature it is to be intimate with one other than your mate."

Vegeta had had enough. Doing something he never did before, he turned his back on his father and walked out of the room. Before the door closed behind him, he got in the final word. "Perhaps by that time, you will no longer be around." Once the door closed, he glanced up at the ceiling with an angry scowl on his face. "Don't you know that it's rude to eavesdropping?"

With a guilty chuckle, Gohan dropped from the ceiling. "Sorry, I wanted to see if you were going to fight Broly or not, then I heard you and the king arguing."

Vegeta humphed and began walking away. Gohan followed after him, looking up at the prince curiously. "So, are you going to take Miss Bulma as your mate?"

Vegeta tripped over his own feet and whirled around to face the boy. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"

Gohan blinked up at him. "Wasn't that what you and the king were discussing?"

Anger and embarrassment twisted Vegeta's features. "Stupid boy! Get out of here!"

With a squeak, Gohan made a run for it. Vegeta growled irritably and began making his way down the hall. It wasn't until later that he realized he had no actual destination in mind, but he somehow ended up outside of his and Bulma's room again.

He stood there for a few moments, simply glaring at the door, before he snarled angrily and barged inside. Bulma was still there. She was sitting at the table, running tests on the wristband that controlled Broly.

She looked up as he came in and glared. "I'm running tests to indicate how much power Broly can handle without losing control. So far, the results show that – Hey!"

She cried out as Vegeta suddenly appeared in front of her. He brushed everything on the table to the floor and placed his hands on her shoulders, staring down at her hungrily.

"What… what are you doing?" she asked.

"Shut up!" he snarled, and kissed her hard.

Bulma's eyes widened as he kissed her. She wasn't surprised though; he got like this from time to time. But something seemed different this time, although she wasn't sure what.

It didn't take much for him to get her to respond, and her arms came up to wrap around his neck. Vegeta pulled away and gripped her shirt, tearing it down her body, exposing her to his gaze.

"You're mine!" he growled at her possessively.

It wasn't the first time he made such a declaration, but again, something about it seemed different. As he buried his face in her bosom, she tangled her fingers through his hair, massaging his head.

"Yeah, you've made that clear on several occasions." She told him teasingly.

But Vegeta wasn't in the mood for teasing. Picking her up, he ignored her startled cry, and laid her on the table.

"I'm not joking around." He said as he stripped off his shirt. "You belong to me. No one else may ever touch you."

She blinked up at him. "Possessive much?" she asked. She received a growl in response as he began working on stripping her of her pants. "Well, if we're going to get serious like that, then you should know that I don't share. If you want me, then I'm getting you, understand."

He glared at her as he laid on top of her, kicking off his own pants in the process. "I'm your master. You don't get to lay claim to me."

She returned his glare and pulled his head down to kiss her. She attempted to roll them over, but wouldn't have been able to do it if he hadn't allowed it, even if it meant toppling over the table.

Now on top, Bulma stared down at him with fire in her eyes. "Don't you tell me who the master is." She gave him a cocky smile. "Let me show you who's really in control."

She bent down to kiss him, biting his lower lip in the process. Vegeta wrapped his arms around her, completely ignoring the warning his father gave him. No one was going to tell him what he could and couldn't do with  _his woman_ , not even the king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Vegeta is getting rather possessive of her. And Bulma is getting pretty arrogant as well ever since she gained control over Broly. The king is against it though, the whole preserving the purity the bloodline thing. I also mentioned Bonding in this chapter, which is a theory that me and several other DBZ fans have in regards to saiyans and their mates, but I'll be getting into that later.)


	46. Losing Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I know this is late, and I'm sorry about it. I've had a very busy week and hadn't had time to write. But I've got a nice long chapter for you here. Also, someone asked me if Broly, or, in this case, Bio-Broly, was going to be the next/last villain. The answer is no. He's just going to be a small obstacle, like Nappa and Raditz were. The real final villain is coming soon.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 46: Losing Control**

"Just for the record, I'm completely against this." Bulma informed.

"So you've said," Vegeta replied, "on several occasions."

She shrugged. "I just wanted to make it clear where I stand."

"Consider it clear."

They remained silent the rest of the way. Their destination was a giant battle arena that had been constructed several years ago for matches. It was used frequently since saiyans enjoyed fighting so much.

There was also a large stadium that was currently completely filled with spectators. Everyone was eager for the upcoming match between their Super Saiyan prince and the bio-genetically altered descendant of the original Super Saiyan.

Because she would be the one controlling Broly's output of power, Bulma was granted special seating next to the king and Tarble. Since Vegeta's chair was currently empty, she was allowed to sit in his spot, although it was clear that the king was not happy about it and never would have allowed it if she hadn't needed full view of the ring.

Broly stood in the middle of the ring, looking curiously at the large gathering of saiyans. He had never seen so many people before and it was setting him a bit on edge. Bulma had felt the increase in power through the control device and quickly lowered his power, making the bio-warrior calm again.

Vegeta walked up to him, looking at the creature expectantly. Broly simply stared back, blinking his large red eyes.

"Vegito." He grunted, recognizing the saiyan prince, but saying his name wrong.

"It's Vegeta, you brainless oaf!" the prince snapped. "And you better provide me with a good battle." He looked up at Bulma. "Well, what are you waiting for? Boost his power."

Bulma sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

She activated the control device, letting Broly's power slip through. A few seconds passed where Broly did nothing, but then his posture became somewhat hostile and he growled at the saiyan prince.

Vegeta smirked. "Right, lets go."

He transformed and jumped up, delivering a kick to the creature. Broly went crashing to the ground, much to Vegeta's surprise. Looking irritated, he turned back to Bulma. "Did you do anything?"

"Of course I did!" she yelled back. "I was just being careful with how much!"

"I have a power level of 35,000,000! At least give him access to a quarter of his power."

Bulma growled in annoyance as her mind did the quick math. That would put Broly's power level at about 55,000,000. No way could Vegeta handle that. She decided to go up to 10%. Vegeta would be able to handle that and still have a descent challenge. She was just concerned about how much would be too much before Broly lost control.

"We'll start lower and work our way up." She told him, and allowed more power to flow through.

Broly was on his feet again. Vegeta turned to him and fired a blast of energy. Broly smacked it away and growled at him. Well, this did seem to be an improvement.

He disappeared and reappeared in the air beside Broly. He delivered a kick to his head, and Broly's head snapped to the side, but he didn't fall over.

"Yes, that's more like it." he said.

This time Broly threw a punch, but Vegeta easily dodged it and delivered an uppercut to him. Broly stumbled backwards, but gathered energy as he stumbled and fired them at the saiyan prince. Vegeta knocked one away and dodged the other, speeding towards the monstrosity.

Broly grunted as Vegeta's fists repeatedly slammed into his chest. With a growl, Broly brought his elbow slamming down on him. Vegeta went crashing to the ground and Broly brought his fist down on him. Vegeta disappeared and Broly's fist shattered the ground. He appeared above Broly, wrapping his legs around the creature's head and flipping backwards, bringing him crashing to the ground.

Hopping to his feet, he fired a blast of energy right into Broly's face just as he started to get up. Reaching down, he grabbed Broly's tail, spun him around, and threw him across the ring. Moving quickly, he attacked from above, his foot slamming into Broly and sending him crashing to the ground, creating a huge dust cloud.

Aggravated, he turned back to Bulma again. "This useless lump isn't even a challenge! He's hardly fighting back! Give him more power!"

Bulma glared at him. "Fine, it's your funeral."

With power surging through him, Broly rose to his feet as the dust cloud dispersed. A deep growl emitted from his throat as he was flooded with energy.

"I better see some results this time." Vegeta grunted.

He sped towards Broly, slamming his fist into his face. Broly didn't react. He didn't even flinch as Vegeta's fist made contact.

"What the?" Vegeta muttered.

He followed up with a series of punches and kicks to the creature's torso. Broly didn't even lose any ground, not even when Vegeta unleashed an energy blast against him. As he paused for a moment to catch his breath, Broly's fist flew out, slamming into his gut and sending him flying.

Vegeta went down with the breath knocked out of him, clutching his stomach. He looked up to see Broly charging at him. He rolled aside as Broly's massive foot came down where he had been laying. As he jumped in the air, Broly's arm shot out, knocking him down again.

Wiping the trail of blood from his mouth, Vegeta smirked. "Now we're talking."

He flew towards Broly again and threw a kick. Broly's hand grabbed his leg before the kick even made contact. A gasp escaped the saiyan prince at the creature's speed. He hadn't even seen him move.

He fired a blast of energy in Broly's face, but it had no affect. The creature didn't even blink. Instead, he slammed Vegeta around like he was playing with a doll, creating large dents in the ground where the saiyan prince hit.

Bulma gulped. This didn't look good. Giving Broly access to his power while provoking a fight was just asking for him to lose control. She could already feel it happening.

Broly finally stopped slamming the saiyan prince around and just stood there holding him, breathing heavily. Vegeta shook his head to clear it before repeatedly slamming his fists into Broly's side.

With a roar, Broly threw Vegeta across the ring. The saiyan prince recovered quickly and immediately sped towards the giant again. But he stopped when he saw Broly standing there clutching his head, the jewel on his control ring glowing brightly.

Broly suddenly roared loudly and his power exploded outward. The shockwave soared through the entire stadium, knocking the spectators off their feet. Bulma felt his power rising higher very quickly. She still had plenty of time to stop the process before he went out of control and was about to, but the shockwave threw her backwards. She crashed painfully to the ground.

Groaning, she sat up, rubbing her head. It was time to put some restraints on Broly's actions. There was only one problem. The bracelet was gone! It had flown off her hand when she had been knocked backwards from the shockwave.

The color drained from her face as she began looking around frantically. The bracelet was nowhere in sight. It must have gone flying during the shockwave.

"OH NO!" she shouted.

Her cry got the attention of both Tarble and the king. The color drained from their faces as well when they saw that she wasn't wearing bracelet. As one, they shifted their attention back to the arena.

Broly was surrounded by golden-greenish aura. He roared loudly again as his power spiraled out of control.

Vegeta may not have been so smart when it came to Bulma's inventions, but even he realized that something had gone wrong with her control device. He didn't have time dwell on it as Broly charged at him. He fired a blast of energy at him, but it didn't even faze the creature as he ran straight through the beam. His large fist slammed into Vegeta, sending him flying across the ring, but Broly's speed was greater still as he appeared in Vegeta's path and kicked him back the other way. Raising his hand, he fired a blast of energy at the flying saiyan and fired. The blast caught up with Vegeta, blowing up nearly half the arena once it struck.

Screams erupted from the stadium as the spectators began to flee. Their cries got Broly's attention, which was a very bad thing in his current state.

The whole room turned green as it filled with energy radiating off Broly's body. The energy was then condensed down into two balls of energy, one in each of his hands, that he threw into the crowd. Massive holes were blown in the stadium from the blasts. Fortunately for Bulma, she wasn't near the explosions. That did not mean that she was safe. Broly had gone berserk and reverted back to his mindless destructive nature. If she didn't find that bracelet, they were all doomed.

Broly powered up again for another attack to throw into the audience when a blast hit him from behind. He turned around to see a battered and bloody Vegeta behind him.

"Hey, ugly," he taunted, "I didn't land outside the ring. Our battle isn't over yet."

Broly turned to him and threw the gathering of energy. Vegeta dodged it and flew up towards the creature, slamming his knee into his face. It was like hitting a solid wall, causing pain to explode in his knee while Broly merely blinked.

"Fine then." Vegeta grumbled. "Then just die!"

He created energy disks similar to the ones Frieza used on Namek and threw them at the creature. The first disk sliced through his torso while the second struck Broly right in the face, cutting off the upper half of his head. Vegeta smirked, but to his horror, Broly's severed torso and sliced off head simply reattached. Even his damn hair that was cut off from the disk attached again.

Broly sped towards him, his balled fists raised over his head. He brought them down and Vegeta hit the ground hard enough to create a crater. With a snarl, Broly brought his foot down, but Vegeta disappeared and his foot buried in the ground.

Reappearing behind Broly, Vegeta held out his hands to gather energy and then brought them together. "Final Blast!"

He was very careful with controlling the energy, knowing he could destroy the planet if he was got reckless. But when the dust settled from the blast, Broly was still standing, seemingly completely unfazed.

"Impossible!" Vegeta cried.

Suddenly, Broly's head completely turned around until he was looking backwards, right at Vegeta. The misshapen hole that served as a mouth opened and fired a blast of energy at him. Vegeta held up his arms to defend himself, but was still blasted out of the air.

Broly ripped his foot out of the ground and jumped in the air, his big feet landed on Vegeta, causing the saiyan prince to cry out. Vegeta cried out in pain as Broly jumped up and came slamming down on him again, repeating the process. The crater that formed beneath Vegeta got bigger and deeper each time Broly came down.

Back in the stands, Bulma was crawling around on her hands and knees, looking for the bracelet. She had to subdue Broly as fast as possible before someone got killed. She knew better than to allow Broly access to too much power. Why did she listen to Vegeta?

"Where is it?" she muttered to herself. "Where is it? Where is it?"

"Bulma, over here!" Getting up, she saw Gohan several rows away with the control bracelet in his hands. Tears of relief appeared in her eyes and she waved her arms to him. Gohan threw the bracelet to her and she reached out to catch it.

She missed, and the bracelet flew through the air, heading right for the arena. Bulma went blue in the face when she saw the bracelet actually bounce off Broly's head.

Halting the pounding he was dealing out, Broly blinked and looked around, wondering what hit him. It gave Vegeta the moment he needed to recover and he burst up out of the crater. Fists flying, he pummeled Broly in the face with as much strength as he could, but got no reaction out of him.

Broly reached out and grabbed Vegeta's fist, holding him at bay. Vegeta began kicking instead, but Broly grabbed his leg with his other hand.

"Unhand me, you ugly buffoon!" he snarled.

Whether Broly understood the insult was unlikely, but he growled at the saiyan prince and raised him in the air. He brought Vegeta down on his bended knee, and Vegeta howled in pain at the impact. Broly dropped him to the ground and kicked him away.

Sensing another presence close by, he turned around and saw Bulma right behind him. She was crawling across the arena floor, reaching out for the control bracelet that rested a few feet away.

Feeling Broly's eyes on her, she slowly turned to look up at the monster. Broly growled, perhaps recognizing her, even in his state of madness, but not seeing her as anything more than something else that he needed to destroy.

Bulma gulped. "H-Hi, Broly. Good match so far."

Broly simply raised his fist and brought it crashing down. Bulma screamed loudly as the giant hand came flying towards her.

Vegeta beat Broly to her, slamming into her and knocking her out of the way of Broly's fist. His arms closed around Broly's giant hand to hold off the punch, but he was still slammed into the floor, crushed between the ground and Broly's fist.

"Hurry up and get that device." Vegeta grunted as a shower of blood flew from his mouth.

Broly growled angrily. Keeping Vegeta pinned down with one hand, he raised his other one, gathering a large amount of energy. With a loud roar, he brought the gathering of energy down for the final blow.

Bulma moved in front of him, her hand raised. The bracelet was on her hand, the jewel glowing brightly. "Stop, Broly!"

Broly roared loudly, the sudden attempt to lock away his power making his body go sluggish, causing him to drop the gathered energy. He made to attack again, and Bulma increased the intensity of her hold on his power.

"Calm down, Broly! Calm down!"

Broly was trembling all over as he seemed to be fighting Bulma's control over him. Slowly his growls subsided and his trembling stopped. His power was dropping rapidly, and, with it, his hostility. After several long agonizing seconds, Broly was finally under control again.

Bulma sighed in relief and dropped to her knees, feeling exhausted. Then, out of nowhere, she wailed loudly, "I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!"

Vegeta just humphed as he struggled to stand up. "You're too damn stubborn to die that easily."

Bulma turned to him with angry tears running down her cheeks. "Oh yeah, well you're one to talk about being stubborn!"

"SILENCE!" the king roared as he marched over to them. "What happened just now was inexcusable! You, woman, nearly got everyone killed with you're carelessness!"

Bulma blinked in surprise, but then she suddenly looked angry. "Oh, no you don't! You're not blaming this on me! No way! I warned you both on numerous occasions how dangerous this would be! I told you what could happen if we gave Broly access to too much of his power! Did anyone listen to me? No, they didn't!" She pointed at Vegeta. "You and your overconfident  _brat_  here insisted on a battle! And you kept saying  _'more power, more power'_ , even though I told you what could happen! I am not taking the fall for this, your majesty!"

Both the king and Vegeta looked shocked at her outburst. The king recovered first, and he looked furious. "You insolent little wench! How dare you talk to us like that!"

Bulma held up her hand with the bracelet. "Ah, ah, ah! Careful, you're majesty. You wouldn't want Broly to lose it again, would you?"

The king held himself back. It looked like it took a great deal of restraint. "Woman, you push me too far, and not even that freak will be able to help you."

Deciding to cut his losses, he turned his back on her and began shouting orders to get anyone that was harmed into the healing chambers. Once he was out of earshot. Bulma sighed and leaned back against Broly. The giant just looked down at her, not understanding her distress, and patted her on the head in what was probably meant to be a gesture of comfort.

Vegeta struggled to remain standing, but he refused to show weakness. "I guess you still have a few kinks to work out on that thing."

Bulma looked at the bracelet and then glared at him. "I'll make a few adjustments so I'll have better control. And I need to make sure I don't lose it again." She cut her eyes at him. "But you have to listen to me the next time I warn you of the dangers." She smirked. "Otherwise you'll just get your ass kicked again." The look on his face was priceless. Feeling victorious, she patted Broly's arm and began walking away. "Lets go, Broly."

Vegeta was left speechless at her final words to him. Ass kicked? No one spoke that way to Vegeta! And no one ever kicked his ass!

"Hey, Broly!"

Broly turned back to him, just in time to see the Super Saiyan deliver a kick to his head that sent him flying and landing outside of the ring. Technically, neither of them had been knocked out of the ring before that moment.

Vegeta humphed and powered down as he turned his back on Bulma. "I win."

Bulma blinked, before giving the saiyan prince a dirty look. "Poor sport!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Elsewhere in the galaxy, several alien medical doctors worked furiously. They'd been working for months, and were finally finishing up. They stepped back, looking at the figure lying on the table.

Red eyes snapped open, taking in the room and its occupants. Anger flashed in them, and their owner sat up.

"Not too quickly, Lord Frieza." Said one of the doctors.

Ignoring the physician, the newly rebuild Icejin looked through the window to the other room where a tall devil-shaped figure stood in the shadows looking in.

"Set a course for Vegeta, Father." Frieza told him.

The figure in the shadows cocked his head to the side. "Planet Vegeta? Whatever for, my son?"

"Because," Frieza snarled, "I'd like to blow it up!"

Understanding and anger flashed in the tall figure's eyes. "Change course!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Frieza lives. I don't know if you saw that coming or not, and his father is with him. Now the question is, will he actually be the final villain, or was his part in the story just not finished?)


	47. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I don't really have anything to say right now, so lets just get right into the good stuff.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 47: The Return**

It was during dinner when it happened. Bardock had another vision of the future. He didn't get that good of a glimpse, but it was enough to send him into a panic. And after his last premonition of the destruction of the planet, he was immediately granted visitation to the king.

But he was once again laughed at when he delivered the news of what he foresaw. No one believed him, just like they hadn't believed him when he said Frieza was coming to destroy the planet. Or maybe they just didn't want to believe him. After all, the news he had was the last thing they wanted to hear. Denial was a powerful thing, and many people preferred it to the truth. However, a few days later, when Bardock's vision seemed to be coming true, the saiyans were forced to accept the cold hard fact that none of them wanted to believe.

Frieza was still alive.

No, not just alive, but stronger than ever. Vegeta and Goku had sensed him first, followed by Gohan, and then the other saiyans that had mastered the ability to sense other beings. The evil galactic overlord had not only survived Vegeta's attack, but also the destruction of Namek. And now, without doubt, he was coming back to take his revenge.

The ship was still a ways away, but the overwhelming power coming from it couldn't possibly be ignored. And Vegeta confirmed that it was definitely Frieza's energy signature. What was worse was that he had people with him. Most were the common minions that always hung around, but there were six more powerful ones.

Of the three strongest, one was definitely Frieza, and another one felt very similar to his own. But the third, the third one was what really had them all trembling in fear, even Vegeta with his Super Saiyan power. Based on those three readings, one was slightly weaker than Frieza, the other was Frieza himself with an even higher power than when he was on Namek, and the third was stronger than both of them. The possibility was incomprehensible. Frieza was always said to be the strongest being in the universe. If there was someone greater among them, it could only mean one thing.

The third power belonged to none other than the emperor of the universe, King Cold.

For many years, there had been talk of a "secret" leader to the Planet Trade Organization. Whispers spoke of a being even more powerful than Frieza, and that being was none other than Frieza's own father. That it was he who truly ran the whole "family business" behind closed doors. His very existence and actual role was said to be kept a secret to everyone but his family and a few select henchmen under his own control, and that he simply utilized his son as the company's public face.

Not even Frieza's own men had been aware of him, but rumors were still heard. And not one of them were pleasant. His power was said to be unimaginable. Some said he was immortal, others called him a god, the most common rumor was that he was actually the son of the Supreme Kai of the West, from which he inherited his awesome power that he had passed on to his son. Most disturbing was the belief that he had a power level of 400,000,000 while some even said it was up to 73,320,000,000 at his maximum. The highest power level he was rumored to have was 345,215,000,000.

Of course, these were just stories that had been passed around over the years. Whether there actually was or ever had been a King Cold was still up for debate, but sensing the power of the being on that ship, those stories were hard to dismiss.

There was nothing that could be done. It seemed that, for now, the ship was simply hovering around the planet. While many thought that Frieza would once again simply destroy the planet, Vegeta was skeptical. From what he knew of Frieza, the evil tyrant would most likely land and come for him personally. He was fine with that. At least that way, he would stand a chance. If they simply destroyed the planet, there was nothing he could do to save himself or his people.

And so, the saiyans all gathered outside to where they believed Frieza's ship would land, if it did. Many trembled in fear, afraid of what to expect. Even with their prince as a Super Saiyan, many believed that they would die, especially if King Cold was really here, considering he was actually real of course.

Almost simultaneously, the color drained from the faces of nearly every saiyan as the ship came in for a landing. Many looked like they wanted to flee, but they held their ground. One of the few that didn't look scared, merely eager, was Goku. But next to him, Raditz looked scared witless.

"Hey, you ok, bro?" Goku asked.

"We're going to die." Raditz muttered. "Again."

Goku slapped him on the back. "No we're not. We'll be fine."

His brother glared at him. "Easy for you to say. My power level is only 1,500. Father's is only 10,000. I wish Nappa were." He frowned. "Ah, screw him, he only had a power level of 4,000."

"Don't worry." Goku reassured him. "I'm sure all of us working together will be able to win. And we haven't even unleashed our army of Saibamen."

"Yeah," Raditz grunted, "each with a power level of 1,200."

Goku didn't seem bothered by this. "We also have Broly on our side now."

Raditz cut his eyes at him. "He may be stronger than all of us, but with that control device suppressing his power, he won't be able to stand up to Frieza, let alone King Cold unless we make him go berserk again, but then we'll  _all_  die."

"Hey, don't put so much focus on power levels. You don't always need to be the strongest to win. Besides, Vegeta's a Super Saiyan, don't forget, and I got to train under King Kai in Otherworld."

"Kakarot, just shut up."

Elsewhere, Vegeta was having his own troubles. He was trying to get Bulma to go back inside. He didn't want her anywhere near the battle in case it got ugly, and he knew it would.

"For the last time, woman, get inside right now!"

Bulma placed her hands on her hips. "Forget it, buddy! I'm staying! You're not keeping me shut away while you face these freaks!"

Frustrated, Vegeta looked up at Broly, who was standing beside her. "Hey, bio-boy, get her inside."

Broly just grunted and cocked his head to the side as if he didn't understand.

Bulma crossed her arms. "Nice try, pal, but Broly only listens to me. And you need me here to control his output of power, unless you want a repeat of your last battle. I can keep him calm and docile from a distance, but I need to be able to see what I'm doing to know when to unleash his power and how much of it, so I have to stay close by."

"You could be killed! If you don't get inside I'll-"

"You'll what, smart ass? Kill me? That's kind of a moot point to your whole argument."

The king couldn't take it anymore. "Vegeta, will you shut that woman up!"

"I'm trying, but she's so damned stubborn!"

In the end, Vegeta hadn't been able to get the blue-haired girl inside, not for lack of trying though. Frieza's spaceship soon came in for a landing, touching down on the saiyan planet. The inhabitants waited anxiously for whatever was going to come out of the ship.

Unsurprisingly, several low class minions with power levels ranging from 1,000 up to 10,000 came out first, making the way for the real leaders. Three of the stronger ones came out after them, followed by one of the main three. This person was quite obviously of the Cold Clan, being of Frieza's race, and looking very much like the Icejin. The three that came out before him seemed to be his bodyguards.

Next came out Frieza himself, only he was very different from the Frieza that was last seen on Namek. Over half his body was mechanical. He had been rebuilt through the use of technology to become some sort of cybernetic creature that was more robot than flesh and bones.

And last, but most definitely not least, came the strongest of them all. Following behind his son was none other than King Cold himself. He was almost identical to Frieza in the second transformation stage, only his skin was darker than his son's, yet lighter than the other member of the Cold Clan that had came with them. And he was a lot taller. He wore the standard battle armor with a cape fluttering behind him in the breeze. It seemed as if the stories were true after all. King Cold did exist, and he was the first to speak.

"It looks like we have a welcome committee here. How delightful."

He spoke with a calm high-class attitude with elegant mannerism, clearly displaying his arrogance. And if the rumors about him had any truth to them, he had a right to be.

King Vegeta stepped forward, going along with the act of no hostilities. "We weren't expecting company. Lord Frieza, is that a new look?"

Though clearly irritated, Frieza smiled. "Why, yes it is. An unwanted, yet necessary attire due to certain circumstances."

"I heard." The king replied. "We thought you were dead."

King Cold smirked. "As if my son could be destroyed as easy as a planet."

"Or killed off by a saiyan." Said the other member of the Cold Clan. "Though he most definitely disgraced our family with his failure."

"Cooler!" Frieza growled in warning.

The Icejin, Cooler, chuckled. "What's wrong, little brother? Can't take the truth?"

Bulma's eyes widened. Did that guy, Cooler, just refer to Frieza as his little brother? Since when did Frieza have a brother? And what was with them all being named after low temperatures?

Clearly, the two siblings didn't get along. His brother's taunting was getting to Frieza, and red sparks began traveling over his mechanical body.

"Now, now." King Cold scolded them gently. "Lets not fight, boys. Frieza, you said that you wanted to come here yourself rather than just blowing the planet up from space, so lets get this underway."

"Yes," Cooler agreed, "I have seven planets that I need to destroy, so make it quick."

King Cold nodded at what his eldest son said. "We are very busy."

Frieza gave him a smile. "Oh, Father, why must you ruin my fun?"

"Enough!" King Vegeta said loudly. The way they were talking, as if none of them mattered, was infuriating. "What is it you want?"

King Cold raised an eyebrow, or he would have if he had any. "Is it not obvious? One good turn deserves another. Your son hurt mine, so now Frieza is going to return the favor."

"With interest!" his mechanical son snapped.

Smirking, Vegeta stepped forward, passed his father. "A rematch? Sounds fun. Why don't we get started?"

Cooler stepped forward. "Not so fast. I want to see the power of this Super Saiyan. Why don't you give us a little demonstration first?"

He snapped his fingers, and all the low-class henchmen ran forward, pointing their weapons at Vegeta. The saiyans backed away as their prince was surrounded, placing all their faith in him.

"Fire!" Cooler shouted.

Beams of plasma were fired at the saiyan prince from the weapons the henchmen carried. Vegeta didn't even make an attempt to avoid them, simply letting himself get hit by the blasts. There were cries from some of the saiyans as they watched their prince take the hits, and they were unable to see him in the cloud of smoke.

"Enough!" Cooler declared, and the firing ceased. "Lets see how the monkey is doing."

They all watched anxiously as the smoke slowly cleared. When it did, Vegeta was still standing. He didn't even seem to be harmed, and was smirking.

"I'm doing quite well." He said. "Let me show you how well."

He suddenly vanished. In a blur of movements, noticed only by a select few individuals, Vegeta attacked. He finished in mere seconds, and was suddenly standing in the same place as before. A few more seconds passed by, and then all the men that had attacked him dropped dead.

Observing the fallen warriors, Cooler regarded the saiyan prince with more interest. "Well, you're better than I thought. But I'm still not convinced that someone like you could defeat my brother."

"It was a fluke." Frieza said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I was careless."

"A mistake that cost you dearly, brother." Cooler replied. He smiled at the saiyan. "But perhaps you're still holding back. Salza, Doore, Neiz!"

Each of the three aliens jumped in responded to their name. "Sir!" they cried together.

"Go and find out if he's hiding his true power."

"Yes, sir!"

As they approached, Vegeta regarded them curiously. "And who are you buffoons?"

"Buffoons nothing, you arrogant monkey." Doore growled.

"We are Cooler's Armored Squadron." Neiz announced proudly.

Vegeta smirked. "So you're like Zarbon and Dodoria."

This was met by laughs from the three of them. Salza was the first to stop laughing. "We're far more skilled than those fools, and a lot stronger. What were their power levels again?"

Doore answered. "Dodoria was 24,000 and Zarbon was 23,000."

"Or 55,000 if he transformed." Neiz added.

Doore nodded. "True. As for me, I'm ranking in at a whopping 185,000."

"I've got 163,000."

"And I," said Salza, "have a 170,000. You're chances of beating the three of us are nonexistent."

As the three aliens ranted about how strong they were, Vegeta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. These guys were only good for a workout. He was tempted to tell them, but decided it would be more fun if they found out during the fight. Afterwards, he would take out Cooler, and then put and end to Frieza once and for all.

After that, he would have to see if he could hold a candle to the mighty King Cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Did anyone see Cooler making an appearance? Is he the final villain I was talking about? Maybe. And in case you couldn't tell, I really like King Cold, even though he was such a minor villain in the series. A lot of what you just read about him is just skepticism and rumor though, especially those numbers, and the part about him being the son of the West Supreme Kai came from the fanmade Dragon Ball AF series. See where things go from here.)


	48. I'll Fight Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, we all know that Vegeta is going to rip apart Cooler's men. But who is going to step up to the bat next. Will it be Frieza, Cooler, King Cold, or will the mystery final villain suddenly appear? And I might as well mention this right now; no, Broly is not the last villain. He was mostly Bulma's stepping stone to gain power among the saiyan society and will be having a very little role for the rest of the story unless I get some new ideas for him. So, let's get started.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 48: I'll Fight Too**

He let them make the first move. Salza, Neiz, and Doore all charged at him at one, throwing punches. He blocked one with one hand, another with the other hand, and lifted his knee to block the third. He cried out loudly, unleashing a shockwave of energy, sending the three of them back. Then he flew straight at Doore and buried his fist in his gut before speeding towards Salza, kicking off him and soaring towards Neiz.

He swung a fist to deliver a punch, but Neiz surprised him by retracting his head, sucking it inside his body as if he were a turtle, causing Vegeta to miss. He didn't miss a beat though as he whirled around in midair and fired an energy blast into his back.

There was no time to spare as Doore instantly fell upon him, wrapping his large green arms around the saiyan prince, holding him so Salza could come to deliver a blow. Vegeta just chuckled and slammed his head back, hitting Doore in the face. It made the brute release him and he moved away, just in time for Salza's fist to hit his companion.

"Hey, watch it!" Doore snapped.

"It's your fault!" Salza argued back. "You should have held on tighter."

"Guys, behind you!" Neiz shouted.

They whirled around to find Vegeta behind them. He raised his hands and fired an energy blast at them. They scattered, dodging the attack, and Neiz came speeding towards him. He ended up hitting an after image, then was sent crashing to the ground as Vegeta attacked from above.

"Bastard!" Doore roared, going on the attack, and the two began exchanging blows.

Salza looked down as Neiz got up. "Doore and I will distract him. You hit him with your Bind Wave."

Neiz grinned as his companion joined the fight. With Vegeta's back to him as he fought off the other two, he fired a beam of pink electricity. But before it hit the saiyan prince, Vegeta vanished, and it hit Doore instead.

"Oh crap!" Neiz cried, calling off his attack.

"Damn it!" Doore shouted. "How come you guys keep attacking me?"

"It's because you're too big."

"Yeah, lets see how you like it!"

He fired a weak beam of energy. Neiz retreated his head again, letting the attack pass over him.

"Ha, missed me!" he mocked.

Suddenly, a white gloved hand was stuck inside the place where his head was retracted. His eyes widened as he recognized it as the one Vegeta wore.

"Bye, bye." The saiyan prince mocked.

Neiz's body exploded from the inside out as the saiyan prince unleashed an energy attack.

"Neiz!" Doore shouted.

Salza turned to him angrily. "You blithering idiot! Why'd you distract him like that?"

"Put a lid on it!"

Vegeta's laughter interrupted their argument. "You're right, you guys aren't like Zarbon and Dodoria. You're even bigger fools."

Salza glared down at him. "I'll show you who the fool is."

He held his hand out and it was suddenly surrounded by a blade of energy. He flew at the saiyan prince, swinging his hand around wildly. Vegeta evaded the attack, knowing the blade would cut him to pieces if it made contact.

As Salza stabbed forward, Vegeta grabbed his arm. There was a loud snapping sound and Salza's energy blade vanished as his arm broke, making him cry out in agony. But Vegeta didn't wait around, suddenly disappearing from view.

Doore looked around, trying to pick up the saiyan's movements. "Where are you, monkey? You can't hide from me."

"Who's hiding?"

Doore turned around and powerful hands grabbed his head. Vegeta's knee suddenly collided with his face. Keeping affirm grip, he kneed him again and again and again. His felt Doore' nose shatter against his kneecap, sending blood spraying, and kept repeating the motion. Doore's face collapsed inward with each blow, his nose and mouth a broken mess, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. With a final powerful blow, he dropped Doore's lifeless body.

"Doore, no!" Salza cried, nursing his broken arm.

Vegeta was suddenly behind him, his arms wrapping around his neck, turning it to the side. Salza struggled, realizing what he was trying to do, but was unable to break the saiyan's grip.

"Vegeta!" he cried fearfully. "H-Hold on! Don't do this! Don't-"

_Crack!_

Salza's fell down dead. And just like that, the last of the henchmen were defeated.

As calm and as confident as ever, Vegeta flew back over to the crowd. Both Cooler and Frieza were scowling, but King Cold looked mildly interested.

"Impressive." He admitted. "For a monkey at least."

"Indeed." Cooler agreed. "Frieza, I can see why you would have had trouble with this one."

A spark, of red electricity flew across Frieza's metal body. "I already told you, he got lucky. I'll put an end to him right now."

Cooler held up a hand. "No, I'll do it."

Frieza looked surprised. "What?"

"I want to test this saiyan's strength myself. I'll kill him."

Frieza looked outraged. "Like hell you will! He's mine!"

Cooler just smirked. "You already had your chance. Now it's mine turn. It's only fair."

"It's not 'only fair'!" Frieza wailed, sounding very much like a child being denied their favorite toy, and he rounded on King Cold. "Father!"

The Icejin king just smiled, looking down at his son. "Now, Frieza, you  _did_  get your chance." He said, sounding as if he was gently scolding a child. "Let your brother have a turn to fight. You can go again if he fails."

Bulma watched as Frieza folded his arms, looking put out. She couldn't believe that these guys were talking so casually about life and death, even about their own family members. Were they truly that heartless, even to their own relatives?

Vegeta looked like he could care less about their relationship. "This ought to be interesting. The rogue leader of the Planet Trade Organization, Lord Cooler. I've heard of you, but never had the pleasure to meet you."

Cooler grinned. "Likewise, although before a little while ago, I could have cared less about meeting you. Now I just want to kill you. No one disgraces our family and gets away with it."

Vegeta got into a fighting stance. "Until now, you mean."

He was about to attack when someone let out a complaining cry. "Hey, wait!"

Vegeta nearly fell over. He turned to the speaker, looking irritated. "Kakarot, what do you?"

Goku looked somewhat sheepish for interrupting. "Do you think I could have a go?"

Vegeta blinked, not expecting this. And from the looks on the other saiyans' faces, neither did they.

"Perhaps," said Kind Vegeta, "you should leave this to my son."

Goku was as cheery as ever. "Aw, come on. The two of us have always been rivals. If he can handle it, I'm sure I can."

Vegeta chuckled. "I admire your skills Kakarot, but things have changed since we used to go head to head. I think you're out of your league with this one."

Goku hummed, thinking this over. "I don't know. You haven't faught me since I was resurrected. While I was in Other World, I got special training from King Kai. I've gotten a lot better under his training. I want to test out my new skills. You can step in if it's too much for me."

Cooler looked frustrated. "I came here to face you, Vegeta, not one of your lowly subordinates."

Vegeta couldn't help but grin as he looked back at the Icejin. "I don't know. You're not even on your brother's level. Maybe Kakarot would be a good challenge for you. You made me waste my time with your weak men to see if I was good enough. Now I think I should get to see if you're good enough."

Goku beamed and began stretching. "Thanks, Vegeta, you're the best."

Cooler humphed. "Whatever. As long as I get to kill something. I'll have no problem starting with this spiky haired freak."

He sped towards Goku, dropping to the ground to kick his feet out from under him. Goku stumbled back, trying to avoid being tripped. Cooler jumped up again and began throwing punches. Goku narrowly avoided them, looking more like he was trying to keep from fighting than actually doing it.

Bulma gulped as she watched the battle. She knew Goku was strong, but he wasn't as strong as Vegeta, but was he a match for Frieza's brother? She desperately hoped he would be ok.

Cooler kicked out and Goku did a series of back flips to get away. Once at a safe distance, he cupped his hands together behind his back and began gathering energy.

"Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

The Kamehameha Wave came at Cooler. The evil alien simply held up his hand to block it. The attack pushed him back, containing more power than he thought. When he tossed it aside, he found Goku flying towards him, delivering a punch to his jaw.

Cooler growled, his pride hurt more than his face. He punched out, but Goku vanished, reappearing behind him. Cooler felt hands grasp his tail and turned around to find Goku holding onto him. He immediately fired lasers from his eyes, and Goku released him, dancing out of the way with a yelp as the lasers came at him again and again.

' _What is this fool, doing?'_  Cooler wondered.  _'Is he making fun of me? He seems to be different from other saiyans.'_

"Kaio-ken!" Goku shouted.

To Cooler's surprise, a bright red aura surrounded Goku's body. He suddenly moved at a much faster speed, and Cooler received a much stronger blow to the head. It knocked him over, but he easily turned it into a flip, landing on his feet again. When he looked at the saiyan again, the red aura was gone.

"What was that?" he demanded.

Goku smirked. "You like that? It's called the Kaio-ken echnique. It increases the user's strength, speed, and senses for an instant. There's different variations too. Watch this. Kaio-ken, Times Two!"

It happened again, this time he moved even faster, and Cooler's teeth rattled as Goku kicked him in the back of the head. Just like last time, it was only for a moment, and Goku reverted back to normal. Cooler whirled around, his fist slamming into Goku's jaw. The saiyan went crashing to the ground, creating a large skid mark.

"Daddy!" Gohan cried.

Goku sat up, rubbing his soar jaw. "Ow, that really hurts. You back quite a wallop."

Cooler glared at him. "I'm not here to play games with you, saiyan. If you're not going to be serious, then I'll kill you now."

Goku grinned and shook his head. "No, I'm still in this. Solar Flare!"

There was a blinding flash of light, and Cooler suddenly found himself unable to see.

"Kaio-ken, Times Three!"

He knew what that meant, and instantly felt pain explode in his gut as Goku pummeled him. With an angry cry, he unleashed his energy, throwing Goku back as a barrier formed around him.

Maintaining the Kaio-ken, Goku attacked the barrier. He didn't have that long before Cooler's vision came back, and he needed to do as much damage as possible. But he found himself unable to break the barrier. It bent inward as he delivered a powerful punch, but refused to break.

"Kaio-ken, Times Four!"

The barrier shattered and Cooler went down. He was suddenly struck by a series of energy blasts hitting him again and again. With an angry growl, he managed to break away and take to the air. He tried to open his eyes again, but everything was blurry. Deciding it was time to put an end to this, he created a ball of energy a little bit bigger than he was and threw it at the saiyan.

Surprise flashed across Goku's face as the attack came at him, and he reached out to catch it. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he attempted to hold the blast back, doing a very poor job at it.

"Struggle all you want!" Cooler yelled down at him. "It's over!"

Goku grit his teeth. "Not… yet… Kaio-ken… Times Twenty!"

The red aura appeared around him again, even larger and brighter than before, and he was able to toss the attack up and away. The look on Cooler's face was one of disbelief as Goku powered up even further.

"Super Kaio-ken!"

The most intense aura yet appeared, and Goku was suddenly in the air, unleashing a series of punches and kicks. Cooler didn't even have a chance to defend himself, let alone attack as the super powered saiyan delivered blow after blow.

Bringing his elbow down on him, Goku sent Cooler crashing to the ground. The aura faded and he landed away from the fallen Icejin as Cooler picked himself up. His father watched in disapproval while Frieza looked amused.

"It seems you can't even defeat an ordinary saiyan, let alone a super one." He mocked.

Vegeta chuckled as well. "For once, we're in agreement, Frieza." He looked back at Cooler. "You're even weaker than your brother. What makes you think you can defeat me when even he couldn't?"

Surprisingly, Cooler smiled. "Such fools. You really have no idea how strong I really am. You've all been led to believe that after our father, Frieza is the strongest there is." He chuckled. "And while it's true that he does seem to have the advantage, I have a secret weapon." He held his arms out, as if he were presenting himself. "As you can see, I'm in the fourth transformation state…" he paused for dramatic affect, "but I found a fifth beyond it. And in this form, I greatly surpass even my brother at his best." The angry scowl on Frieza's face indicated that he was telling the truth. "First you will see, then you will die."

His body tensed up, much the way Frieza's did when he changed. He began growing taller, his shoulders bowing. Four horns grew out of his head and four more from his back, followed by a spike on his tail. His pupils disappeared as his eyes turned red and a cover made of bone crept up his face, covering his mouth.

"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed. "He's huge!"

Cooler chuckled, his voice now much deeper. "Yes, time to die!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Vegeta may be the hero of this story, but I didn't want him to be the only hero. I wanted to have Goku get involved in the fighting as well. This is actually on of the reasons why I changed Frieza's power level from 120,000,000 to 12,000,000, because then I would have to bring down Goku's too in order for him to be a match for Cooler without the special training and unusual power boost that he gained on Namek. This brings Cooler's 5th form's power level from 470,000,000 to 47,000,000. Again, I said this is one of the reasons I knocked a zero off their powers levels, there's still another. But still, Goku may be able to hold his own against Cooler's 4th form, but he's in real trouble against his 5th without the ability to turn into a Super Saiyan. Oops, did I just provide a spoiler?)


	49. Making A Comeback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Just a heads up people. My new job starts tomorrow, and I'm going to be very, VERY busy. Unfortunately this means I won't be able to update as frequently as I have been, but I will whenever I get the chance.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 49: Making A Comeback**

Cooler's size and strength wasn't the only thing that had increased. His speed had as well. Goku barely even saw him move before pain exploded in his gut as the newly transformed Icejin's giant fist slammed into him. Before he could even fully register that he was in pain, Cooler's other fist collided with his head, nearly breaking his neck.

Goku went flying backwards with Cooler speeding after him. He grabbed Goku's leg and tossed him in the other direction. Goku hit a rock wall, and Cooler immediately slammed into him with his elbow. Chuckling, he crushed Goku against the wall with his giant foot. Pulling back, he did it again, burying Goku deeper into the wall with each blow, sending blood flying from Goku's, mouth.

Reaching out, he grabbed Goku by his hair, peeling him off the wall. Goku raised his hand to fire an energy blast, but Cooler slapped it aside, sending his attack astray.

"Watch closely, brother." Cooler told Frieza. "This is how you dispose of a saiyan properly."

He raised his own hand and fired a beam of energy while keeping hold of Goku. The entire rock wall behind him was obliterated while he was forced to take the attack head on. Cooler dropped him afterwards, letting him fall to the ground. Then he dropped from the sky as well, stomping down on the saiyan.

Goku cried out as a large crater formed around him. Cooler jumped up and repeated the process, making the crater even bigger. When he jumped a third time, Goku raised his hand to his head, placing his middle and index fingers against it. He vanished right before Cooler's foot stomped down on him, shattering the hard ground.

"Impressive." Cooler muttered, turning around to look up at Goku in the sky. "That's a neat little trick."

Through the pain, Goku managed to smirk. "You like that one, huh? It's called Instant Transmission."

"I know." Cooler replied. "It's one of my favorite techniques."

Goku blinked. "Um, your favorites?"

Cooler mimicked the teleportation trick, appearing behind Goku and sending him crashing to the ground by whacking him with his tail.

"This changes things." The saiyan moaned.

Cooler landed beside him. "Not really. You're still going to die."

"Kaio-"

Cooler kicked him, interrupting the technique. "Enough of that stupid trick."

His tail lashed out again, wrapping around Goku upper torso. The saiyan cried out as the Icejin squeezed him tightly. Cooler's large hand wrapped around Goku's neck, cutting off his air supply, making Goku unable to scream his agony.

"I wonder what will break first," Cooler mocked, "your neck, or your ribs."

From the sidelines, Bulma watched worriedly. She turned to Vegeta with a pleading look. "Don't you think you should step in?"

Vegeta just smirked. "I think it's being taken care of."

Before she could ask what he meant, something sped past her. She barely saw Gohan as he flew towards Cooler. The Icejin turned to him, just in time to have the young saiyan collided with his gut. Cooler grunted, releasing Goku and stumbling back.

"Dad, are you ok?" the boy asked.

Goku struggled to move. "Gohan, stay with the others. This isn't the best place for you right now."

By this point, Cooler had recovered. "This isn't the best place for anyone right now."

Lasers shot out of his eyes at Gohan. The boy cried out, but was instantly shielded by his father, who took the beams in his back, frying his skin. He immediately fell over, his back singed, and a large hole burned in his shirt.

"Dad!" Gohan cried.

Goku pushed him away. "Stay back, Gohan. I don't want you to get hurt."

"How sweet." Cooler grumbled. His tail shot out, tripping Goku. "You really care about your son, don't you, monkey? Well then, I won't keep you apart for too long. After I kill you, I'll take care of your brat." He glanced at the saiyan prince. "Then I get rid of Vegeta." There was a groan from Goku, and Cooler looked back at him, surprised to see him struggling to his knees. "What's this? You want to continue? Even after taking my Death Beam head on?" He cracked his knuckles, approaching the crouching saiyan. "Very well. Get ready for some more pain!"

He threw a punch, but, surprisingly, Goku's hand shot up, blocking it. Cooler's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the saiyan. Smoke seemed to be rising from Goku's body. He looked up, making eye contact with the powerful alien, and went through a stunning transformation.

He didn't turn into a Super Saiyan, but it was a change of some kind. His irises and pupils were no longer visible, leaving them completely white. His body bulked up a bit, and his skin color gained a yellow hue, making him appear gold, which was intensified by the furious golden aura surrounded him. Like a Super Saiyan, his hair straightened, and gained a red tint to from the reflection of his gold aura. Over all, it looked like a cross between the Super Saiyan state and the Kaio-ken.

Cooler pulled his hand back, stunned by this sudden display of power. "What? What is this? You were beaten? How-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his question as Goku went on the attack, burying his fist in the evil alien's gut. This was followed by an uppercut, followed by and energy blast that sent Cooler flying.

"Whoa, what happened?" a saiyan in the crowd wondered out loud. "Did he just become a Super Saiyan too?"

Vegeta growled. "No, that's not a Super Saiyan transformation. I don't know what it is, but he's no Super Saiyan." He turned to Bulma. "Hey, you were doing the research. What's this about?"

Bulma wracked her brain to come up with some kind of explanation for what happened. "Well, um, I would say it's an incomplete transformation. He has the required physical power, but is lacking the required mental strife to take on the actual transformation."

"A Pseudo Super Saiyan." Tarble suggested.

Vegeta ignored his brother's remark as he watched the battle. Did this mean that his rival had the potential to actually become a Super Saiyan some day? The idea didn't sit well with him.

Nor with Cooler, who had yet to land another blow since Goku went through his transformation, if it could be called that. He threw a punch, but Goku dodged it, delivering his own to Cooler's face. A kick to the chest followed this, followed by Goku speeding behind him to grab his tail and throw him over his shoulder.

Once in the air, Cooler halted in momentum. This saiyan was making a fool out of him. "Miserable saiyan! I'll put an end to you right now!"

He fired a powerful energy beam. Goku, still glowing with power, flew straight up into the beam, forcing his way through.

"Impossible!" Cooler roared. "How are you doing that?"

"Super Dragon Fist!" Goku shouted.

With his arm extended, he barreled right into Cooler's larger frame, bursting straight through him and out his back. With him came an explosion of energy in the form of an enormous golden dragon. Cooler howled in pain from the massive hole in his chest as the dragon coiled around him.

Goku didn't stop there. He teleported right in front of Cooler, cupping his hands together. "Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

The blast hit Cooler as he struggled against the dragon. He bellowed loudly, trying to withstand the two separate attacks.

"Super Kaio-ken, Times One-Hundred!"

An explosion all but went off in Goku's hands, lighting up the sky. Cooler's cry was heard mixed in with it until the former finally overpowered the latter.

When the energy faded away, only Goku remained. The dragon was gone, as was Cooler, having been completely vaporized by the blast. Not even the charred remains were left behind.

Goku's power died down and he dropped from the sky, completely drained. He hit the ground and pain exploded throughout his body. Gohan quickly ran over to him, and a few other saiyans went to see if he was all right as well.

"Dad, are you ok?" Gohan asked worriedly.

Goku groaned. "Well… as ok as I can be… considering the circumstances…" He let out a pained chuckle. "Guess that's what I get for using the Kaio-ken at such a high level. I can't even move my pinky."

Bardock smiled down at his son. "You've made me proud, my son."

Fasha chuckled. "That's my nephew, tough as nails."

Vegeta walked over to them. "Yes, yes, very impressive, Kakarot, but still a foolish move on your part. Someone get him out of here, and give him one of those beans." He looked at the remaining Icejins. "I'll be finishing up here."

While Frieza had an emotionless look on his face, King Cold seemed disappointed that his eldest son was defeated. "That's two defeats we've suffered at the hands of these monkeys. Just what is going on here?"

Frieza chuckled. "Not to worry, Father. I'll be sure to avenge my dear brother's death."

King Cold crossed his arms. "See that you do."

His son grinned. He supposed he should be grateful to the saiyan for getting rid of Cooler. It saved him the trouble. He would have killed his brother himself one day, but this saved having to explain murdering his brother to his father.

Vegeta was also having thoughts about Cooler, only quite different ones. He regretted letting Goku step in. After Cooler had transformed, he had wanted to test his power against the Icejin's new form. But he supposed he would have to settle for Frieza and his father.

"Does this mean you're ready to finish what we started on Namek?" he asked.

Frieza chuckled. "Don't be so happy about it. This time you will die, Vegeta."

"Really? Because I seem to remember having the upper hand back then."

A scowl crossed Frieza's face. "That was pure luck. I constantly underestimated you and toyed with you for so long. I foolishly kept giving you the opportunity to gain the upper hand you claim to have had. I will not repeat that mistake." He snickered. "Even if I did, this new body of mine makes me faster, stronger, and more powerful than ever. You don't stand a chance."

Vegeta looked over Frieza's freakish metal body. "Is that so? Bulma!"

She jumped. "What?"

"Get out that scouter you designed. I want to see how strong these fools are."

Bulma sighed, but began rummaging through her bag. "You really enjoy like pushing people's buttons, don't you?" Attaching the device to her face, she took a reading of the two of them. "Frieza has a power level of…" she gulped, "12,500,000." There was fearful muttering among the saiyans as she turned to King Cold, feeling dread creep in as she got a reading. "And his father has a power level of 13,000,000."

There was more terrified muttering, and Bulma had to resist the urge not to tremble in fear. How did these guys possible get so powerful? And if King Cold really was only in the second transformation stage and could go to a third and fourth, or even, heaven forbid, a fifth, she didn't even want to know how strong he would be then.

Frieza grinned. "Hear that, Vegeta? Are you still feeling so confident? I could take you all out at once."

Vegeta laughed. "It seems you've forgotten who you're messing with, Frieza. I'm the prince of all saiyans, and I have achieved what you always called legend and myth, yet constantly feared. Let me give you a reminder of what's coming."

Bracing himself for the change, he allowed the transformation to flow over him, tapping into his Super Saiyan power. The change was instantaneous. His hair turned gold and his eyes green, a golden aura surrounding his body. This was met by whispers of awe from the other saiyans as they got an up close view at the living legend standing before them.

Frieza had quite a different reaction. Seeing the saiyan prince as a golden warrior again reignited his fury of what he went through back on Namek. And those eyes, those intense emerald green eyes stared at him. The same ones that haunted him ever since he met his defeat. His fear angered him further, and his body began to produce more red sparks.

King Cold took notice of his son's behavior. He could tell that he was angry, it was quite obvious, but he also saw the fear mixed in with it. A scowl crossed his face as he turned back to the saiyan prince, taking in his golden form.

"So, this is a Super Saiyan." He muttered.

Vegeta grinned. "The very thing your whole family has feared for generations, and the very thing that nearly killed your son." He flexed his muscles, tauntingly. "And now I'm going to finish the job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Bet you didn't see Goku becoming a fake Super Saiyan. That's what happened to him when he faced Lord Slug. And just to tell you right now, there will NOT be a Meta Cooler appearing. He's gone. Just Frieza and King Cold remain, and the mysterious final villain.)


	50. Fall of the Cold Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I am SO sorry. When I said that there would be longer periods before I update, this is NOT what I meant. What actually happened was my computer broke. Yeah, go figure. It kept shutting off on its own, then just wouldn't turn on at all. All my notes and what I've already written were on that computer, and I didn't have it backed up. It took me a while to get a new computer and do a data recovery to get this story back. Lesson learned. Make sure you back up EVERYTHING. Anyway, the final villain will be making an appearance soon. When they do, I will explain why I chose them and what I have planned.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 50: Fall of the Cold Clan**

Frieza's anger escalated. No, he would not be made a fool again. Super Saiyan or not, he would destroy this monkey once and for all. There would be no playing around this time, no dragging things out, no prolonged suffering. He would simply put the saiyan in his grave, just as he should have to begin with.

With an angry snarl, he fired a blast of energy. Vegeta easily swatted it aside, making it seem effortless. More angry red sparks flashed across Frieza's body. The saiyan scum had barely moved, and he still had that infuriating grin on his face. He was mocking him. How dare he mock him!

"Please don't tell me that was your best shot." Vegeta taunted. "I thought you said you were stronger than you were back on Namek."

Frieza's anger snapped. "You want to see me strong? I'll show you strong! Take this!"

Raising his hand, he created a larger ball of golden energy. King Cold's eyes widened at his son's use of the Death Blaster. "Frieza, you'll destroy us all!"

Frieza ignored his father. He knew his attack would most likely destroy the planet; not that it would actually kill him and his father, but getting caught in the blast would be unpleasant. Still, he unleashed his attack on the saiyan prince with the intent to kill.

Vegeta caught the attack. It pushed him back, his feet creating grooves in the ground, but he managed to hold it back. He struggled for a few moments before grinning and sending the attack up and away, straight into space. Then he turned back to the two tyrants with a cocky look on his face.

"That's strike two, Frieza." He told the Icejin. "One more and you're out."

A vein throbbed in Frieza's temple. That was the final straw. He was done pulling punches. He didn't care if what he was going to do was excessive, not as long as it got rid of the saiyan monkey.

He slowly floated in the air and raised is hand over his head. Gathering his energy, he created a powerful supernova, even bigger than the one he used to destroy Namek. It would no doubt destroy the planet, but he was beyond the point of caring.

"Catch this, monkey!"

He threw the giant ball of energy. Vegeta braced himself, waiting for it to come. He held out his hands to catch it, and Frieza laughed at his futile attempt. The attack pressed against Vegeta, pushing him down. Vegeta was forced to his knees, his face twisted with the strain of holding the attack back. It kept coming, forcing him onto his back and crushing him against the ground.

Cries rang out from the saiyans as their prince was seemingly overpowered by the attack. Already it had crushed him beneath it and was currently burying its way underground where it would erupt and destroy the planet… again.

Frieza seemed satisfied and landed a short distance away from his father.

"A bit much, don't you think?" King Cold asked, looking at the large ball of energy.

Frieza humphed. "You know, there's really no pleasing you sometimes, Father."

Sounds of shocked cries stopped him in his tracks and he turned around to see the supernova slowly rising. He couldn't believe his eyes. Vegeta was slowly walking out of the crater the attack had created, carrying the giant ball of energy over his head. And he was still grinning!

"Is this yours?" he asked sarcastically.

Ordinarily, this would have enraged Frieza, instead he just frown slightly and shot off a small blast of energy at the saiyan. At the last second, he directed it upward, and it crashed into the supernova. Vegeta glanced at the spot the blast entered, watching the surface of the supernova distort. A moment later, the supernova went off in his hand, exploding upward in a massive explosion that nearly shook the entire planet apart.

When the explosion died down, and an enormous cloud of smoke filled the sky, all that remained was a hole so deep that the bottom couldn't be seen. Cries rang out from the saiyans as they saw that Vegeta was nowhere in sight. King Vegeta looked horrified that his son was gone.

Frieza, on the other hand, looked quite relieved, and he grinned evilly. His father looked equally as pleased, and couldn't help teasing his son. "Well done, Frieza. It only took you four tries to get rid of that monkey."

Frieza detected his father's teasing tone and played along. "I was just warming up, Father. Really."

King Cold chuckled. "Of course, my son."

As they laughed, neither of them noticed that Vegeta had fooled them all. He'd easily outrun the explosion and had taken refuge under their ship. He stepped out from the shadows, letting his people see that he was all right, but remaining behind the two Icejins.

Raising his hand, he gathered energy for an attack, but couldn't resist taunting his opponent. "Hey, Frieza!"

The smirk left Frieza's face and he turned around, seeing Vegeta. The saiyan prince unleashed his attack on the two Icejins. Frieza went straight up while King Cold jumped to the side, both avoiding the blast.

Up in the air, Frieza looked down at Vegeta furiously. "Damn saiyan monkey! How did you survive that?"

Vegeta laughed. "Face it, Frieza, you're no match for me."

"Ridiculous!" the Icejin snarled. "Our power levels were nearly equal back on Namek, and I'm even stronger now! So how can you still do all this?"

"It's very simply." Vegeta explained. "I've kept training since we last fought. I'll never stop training and getting stronger. Unlike you, I don't plan on becoming the strongest in the universe and then just sit on my ass all day and revel in my power while others get stronger around me. And now, as the strongest being in the universe, I'm going to rid it of you once and for all."

He shot up into the sky towards Frieza. The evil alien barely gat a chance to react before Vegeta's fist slammed into his metal gut. Vegeta's fist burst straight through the metal, his hand ending up in Frieza's synthetic body. A look of stunned disbelief crossed Frieza's face as he looked at Vegeta's hand, buried past the wrist, in his stomach.

"This time," Vegeta told him, "you  _will_  die."

He unleashed a powerful energy blast inside Frieza's body. The Icejin cried out as he was blasted apart from the inside, the explosion bursting him open and consuming his outer body as well.

When the smoke cleared, Frieza was gone. Only pieces of metal and burnt pieces of flesh remained, falling from the sky into a lifeless pile on the ground. This time, Frieza was well and truly dead.

A horrified look crossed King Cold's face, but he was the only one. The other bystanders were stunned. They had just witnessed their tormentor's death at the hand of their prince right before their very eyes. The legend of the Super Saiyan never proved to be more true than in this very moment. There was no cheering, no cries of joy, only stunned disbelief.

Vegeta wasn't expecting any. This wasn't even the time to cheer yet. There was still one member of the Cold Clan that needed to be defeated. He slowly floated down from the sky and turned to the evil being behind all their troubles, and the troubles of the rest of the galaxy.

King Cold had gotten over his surprise and was now looking at Vegeta with a scowl on his face. For a few moments, they simply stared at each other, then King Cold slowly raised his hands. Vegeta braced himself, ready for an attack, but was surprised when the Icejin brought his hands together again and again in what was unmistakably applause.

"Well done." King Cold told him. "Very well done indeed. It seems as if I truly underestimated what you saiyans are capable of. And Vegeta, a legendary Super Saiyan. Your power is incredible. You defeated my son so easily. I am well and truly impressed. Frieza was no match for you."

Smiling, he walked over to Vegeta, his form not showing any sign of hostility. Vegeta lowered his stance, but was still ready for an attack, just in case. But King Cold did nothing of the sorts. Instead, he bent down and placed one of his large hands on Vegeta's shoulder.

"With that said, let he make you a deal." He told the saiyan. "Join me. Become my son and take Frieza's place at my side. No one will be able to stop us. We will be invincible. Together, you and I will rule the entire universe."

Bulma couldn't believe it. This guy was offering to… adopt Vegeta. He wanted him to take Frieza's place as the leader of the Planet Trade Organization. Didn't he have any respect for his own children? Vegeta had just killed his son, and now he was offering him the position. What a creep?

But what would Vegeta do? He was already arrogant enough being the prince of saiyans. He'd be a real nightmare as the ruler of the universe, even worse under King Cold's tyranny. But there were few who could resist such an offer. Greed was a powerful thing. She knew many people that would jump at the opportunity.

"Vegeta." The saiyan king whispered.

The prince ignored his father as he looked up at King Cold. "I must admit, it's a tempting offer, but no thanks. I already have a father. Besides," he chuckled, "if I wanted to rule the universe, I wouldn't need your help to do it."

King Cold just continued smiling. "Oh, come now, don't be like THAT!"

As quick as lightning, his expression changed from friendly to ferocious, and his other hand shot up to strike. But Vegeta was even faster, his own hand grabbing King Cold by the wrist before the blow landed. Anger and disbelief crossed King Cold's face as Vegeta held him at bay.

"Did you really think I would join you?" he asked. "I would sooner destroy your organization that run it. And the same goes for you!"

Jumping up, he delivered a powerful kick to the king's chest, shattering his armor and sending him flying backwards. King Cold smashed against a rock wall and slid down it, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Groaning, his eyes cracked open and he struggled to sit up. He saw Vegeta standing a distance away, watching as he slowly raised his hand and took aim. And for the first time, King Cold felt fear for his life.

"Wait, no…" he begged, raising his arms desperately. "Please, spare me." He winced from the pain in his chest. "I surrender. You win. I promise to leave and never come back." He saw that his words seemed to have no affect on the saiyan prince, so he changed tactics. "If you let me go, I'll give you one of my finest planets. No, wait, I'll give you an entire solar system. I give you my word."

Vegeta had heard enough. He unleashed a powerful blast of energy. King Cold cried out as the attack hit him, and he was completely obliterated. And just like that, King Cold was defeated.

A surreal feeling passed over Vegeta. The thought that it was finally over slowly registered to him. He became lost in thought as he tried to comprehend this. His whole life, he had been under the rule of the Cold Clan, and now they were finished. Could this truly be possible?

He didn't want to jump to conclusions. Just because its leaders were dead did not mean that they were free. The Planet Trade Organization was still in affect. It would take a long time before things truly ended. So many races and so many planets had been under the Cold Clan's rule. He knew that Frieza owned at least 79 different planets and Cooler owned at least 256, not to mention how many King Cold owned. There would surely be those willing to take place as the new leader.

This brought his thoughts to the remainder of the Cold Clan. Would there be retribution? Both Cooler and King Cold had come for him after what happened with Frieza on Namek. Would the rest of the family come? He knew that Frieza had a son, Kurīza, and a wife, Frozin, although he doubted they would be any trouble. Then there was the matter of Cooler's wife, Snew, and, since the rumors of King Cold proved to be true, that meant that Frieza and Cooler's mother, Queen Icicla, was probably out there too. Not to mention all those that were loyal to the Cold Clan. Maybe he should just blow up the Icejin's home planet and be done with it.

A hand clamping his shoulder brought him out of his dazed state, and he looked up to see his father standing beside him proudly. It was then that he noticed cheers that were going on around him. Cries of "Hail Prince Vegeta," and "Long live Prince Vegeta," rang out around him. It seemed it was going to be his homecoming all over again.

Tarble took a running jump and crashed into his brother, glomping him tightly. Other saiyans hurried over to him, reaching out to shake his hand or pat him on the back as they continued to congratulate him over and over again.

Slowly, a smile crept up Vegeta's face. The praise fed his ego, which was the last thing he needed, or so Bulma thought. But congratulations were indeed in order, so she made her way over to him.

When she managed to force her way through the crowd, she received an expectant look from him, to which she cut her eyes at. "Don't get cute with me. Just because you're the strongest person in the universe now doesn't mean I'm going to bow and scrape to your every-"

He cut her off by grasping her chin and kissing her full on the mouth in front of everyone. Her eyes widened in shock and she instantly became irritated, knowing that he was showing his dominance over her in front of everyone.

' _The creep!'_  she thought.  _'But… I really am falling for him.'_  When his tongue forced its way into her mouth, tangling with hers, and making her weak in the knees, she rephrased her thoughts.  _'Or perhaps I've already fallen for him.'_

When Vegeta broke the kiss, he gave her that arrogant grin. "We'll soon see what you'll be willing to do for me… in bed later on."

She blushed furiously as she heard laughter from the saiyans. She really needed to make it clear to them, even to Vegeta, that she was not a slave.

Completely ignoring her, King Vegeta squeezed his son's shoulder where his hand rested. "You've really made me proud, my son."

This was, perhaps, the greatest compliment he could have received. Unfortunately it was interrupted by laughter. A hideously evil laughter that seemed to be getting louder and louder until the last of the cheering died down and only the laughter remained.

"How very touching. This moment is so sweet, I think I'm going to get cavities."

The source of the laughter, now speaker, was finally pinpointed. All heads turned to the few scraps that remained of Frieza's body. One piece, no more than an inch or two of flesh, was moving, and a blue glow began to emit from it.

"What the hell?" the king muttered as the bit of flesh began to crawl around.

Slowly, the glowing bit of flesh began to grow. As it got bigger, the shapeless mass became taking on a humanoid form that now seemed to be made out of a silver liquid. And once it had shaped itself out, it took on a solid form and became whole.

The creature that now stood before them was unlike anything they had ever seen before. His head seemed to be deformed and was curving over on itself. His skin was a silvery blue color and almost liked like metal. His eyes were blue-colored visors, making him look like he was actually wearing sunglasses, and his clothes, which seemed to somehow be part of his body, were red and gold gloves, boots, and shoulder pads. Not a single person had any idea of what he was.

"So," said the creature, "it's good to be home."

"What the hell are you?" King Vegeta demanded.

The creature snickered. "The beginning… of your end."

The saiyan prince scoffed at this. "Then perhaps a better question would be  _who_  are you, and what are you doing here?"

An evil grin crept up the creature's face. "I'm here to see that justice is served. As for who I am…" he paused, seeming to think this over, "my creator never gave me a real name, but he called me his precious Baby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I know, I know. You're probably thinking something like, Oh no, not him. I'm completely aware of how bad of a character he was and that a lot of people didn't like him, but I'm going to improve him as a character for my story. The reason I chose him as the final villain was because, aside from the Icejins, the Tuffles were the saiyan's greatest enemies. Don't worry, I won't have him just chilling inside someone's body, he's actually going to do the fighting. It won't just be him either. I'll also be including events from the DBZ special "The Plan To Eradicate The Saiyans". Baby is also another reason why I reduced Frieza's power level earlier. The upcoming characters will have accurate power levels again, and, in hindsight, Baby isn't all that strong compared to anyone that appears after the Galic Jr Saga unless he's in someone else's body. Anyway, now that I'm back, things can get a move on again.)


	51. Origins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Got a long chapter for you all here. As the chapter title states, it's about the origin of the saiyans and the Tuffles, though it's been modified to fit my story. A lot of it is pretty accurate though. Ah, what am I going on about. You don't care, you just want to read my fic.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 51: Origins**

A snicker started in the crowd that quickly spread. It wasn't long before all the saiyans were laughing at the creature's expense.

"Your name is Baby?" Vegeta teased. "Wow, your parents must not have been that smart if that's all they could come up with."

The creature, Baby, growled. "Shut up! Don't you saiyan monkeys talk about my parents! You know nothing!"

The king managed to contain his laughter. "If you say so, but what I do know is that I'm in a good mood, and you better leave before it changes and I end your life."

Baby grinned wickedly. "Of course, that's all you saiyans know how to do. Kill and steal people's planets. Just as you did to my ancestors."

"If that's supposed to mean anything to us, you're going to have to be more precise." Vegeta laughed. "We saiyans have conquered many worlds."

"Yes," Baby agreed, "galactic homicide is just a game to your disgusting breed, isn't it?"

The insults were beginning to get to them. The king was becoming irritated with this creature very quickly. "If you have something to say, you better say it now, otherwise I would advice leaving our planet while you can still do it alive."

Anger flashed across the creature's face. "What's that?  _Your_  planet? This isn't your planet. This planet belongs to the proud race of the Tuffles. And as the last of their kind, I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine."

This statement was met with silence, but followed very quickly by laughter.

"The Tuffles, oh brother, is that what you are?" A saiyan in the crowd laughed.

"He really had me going for a moment there." Said another.

"He doesn't even look like one." Said a third. "Unless he's mixed race and heavily deformed."

More laughter followed. Baby began to grind his teeth together angrily. "Stop laughing!" He unleashed his energy. The intensity of it instantly silenced every last saiyan, several having their scouters explode against their faces. "You barbaric saiyan scum! You will not insult me, or my people! After everything you've done to them, it's time for you to pay!"

Bulma looked from the creature to the saiyan prince and king. "Hey, what's going on here? I'm completely lost. What's he talking about?"

Turning to her, Baby grinned. "I'm so glad you asked. It will do you good to know what type of people you've been living among. Now, listen closely. Many years ago, this planet was inhabited by a peaceful race of highly intelligent, technology advanced beings called the Tuffles. One day, they were invaded by an alien species known as the saiyans. My people welcomed these saiyans with open arms, accepting them into their society and treating them as equals. But over the years, the saiyans grew tired of living peaceful lives and declared war on my people under the lead of a saiyan that was too smart for his own good. I'm referring, of course, to King Vegeta!"

He pointed an accusing finger at the saiyan king. Bulma couldn't help but give him a suspicious look. If what Baby was saying was true, well, she wouldn't find it that hard to believe. The saiyans weren't exactly the nicest bunch.

"The Tuffles were physically weaker," Baby continued, "but they greatly outnumbered the saiyans, and their technology gave them an advantage. Unfortunately, once every seven to eight years, the full moon rises. This happened during the war, and the saiyans turned into their giant monkey forms and completely annihilated the entire Tuffle race." A sinister grin crept up his face. "Or so they thought. Unbeknownst to these simple-minded fools, the top Tuffle scientists, led by the brilliant Dr. Raichi, had created a way for the Tuffle race to take their revenge on the saiyans. They created a parasitic organism that the Tuffle King infused his DNA with and sent it out into space. You are looking at the fully developed form of that organism."

The king mockingly looked him up and down. "Not much to look at."

"And you're not even a true Tuffle." Vegeta added. "Just some freaky thing with Tuffle DNA injected into you." He grinned. "Actually, that probably makes you superior to the real Tuffles."

"Silence!" Baby shouted. "I  _am_  a true Tuffle. And I have become even greater than my ancestors ever anticipated." His tongue traced across his lips hungrily. "You see, the shuttle containing my undeveloped form was discovered by another scientist, whose genius was as great as some of even the smartest Tuffles. His name was Dr. Myuu. He had a plan, see. He wanted to rule the entire galaxy. He'd already taken over his entire planet and inhabited it with Machine Mutants."

The scientist in Bulma sprang to life. "And what are Machine Mutants?"

Baby smiled, seeming to enjoy talking science with her. "Machine Mutants are a race of beings created by Dr. Myuu. They're mechanical beings with organic properties, having metallic cells rather than organic ones. It was his dream to fill the entire galaxy with these beings, over which he would rule. And I… I was to be his masterpiece."

Bulma tried to understand this. "So… he took the organism you were and turned it into a Machine Mutant?"

"Precisely." Baby said proudly. "You're looking at the first and only parasitic Machine Mutant Tuffle. And I was in the process of growing up in a test tub when Frieza's men arrived. They took over the entire planet, destroying everything and everyone, including Dr. Myuu. But when they got to me," he snickered, "I wouldn't go down that easily. You see, my parasitic qualities allow me to enter another's body and take control of it. I infected one of Frieza's men and took over. Then I called Frieza himself to the planet, telling him that we found something he needed to see. And when the fool came, I infected him."

"You infected Frieza?" King Vegeta exclaimed.

Surprised muttering came from the rest of the saiyans, making Baby smile. "Indeed. If I was going to possess someone, it may as well have been the strongest person in the universe." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I was still maturing, and Frieza proved to be too powerful for me to control. He nearly succeeded in expelling me from his body. That's when I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." He tapped a finger to his forehead. "You see, I inherited a lot more than hatred for you saiyans from my ancestors. I was also given vast knowledge on many things. Including the secrets of the universe. So I told Frieza that if he would let me stay for a while, I would tell him how to obtain the one thing he always wanted. Immortality."

Vegeta crossed his arms. Things were starting to make sense. "So you told him about the Dragon Balls, and he headed to Namek."

"Correct. But first we made a quick stop here. In addition to letting me stay, he was also to wipe out the entire saiyan race."

The king looked shocked by this. "You mean,  _you_  were the one that made Frieza betray us?"

Baby chuckled. "Guilty. Although I can't take all the credit. He had been entertaining the idea for a long time, debating with himself whether he should do it or not. When I expressed the same desire to rid the universe of you vermin, he was very quick to agree. After that, we were off to Namek." He scowled. "And that's when you idiots had to interfere. My plan was perfect. Instead of letting Frieza gain immortality, I would have used the Dragon Balls to wish my planet back without the monkey infestation. You did that for me, Vegeta, but unfortunately you brought back the pests with it. Frieza was so upset that you stole his chance for eternal life that he tried to kill you on the spot, and I was content to let him do it with a front row seat behind his very eyes. Unfortunately, he was cut down by his own attack and left to die. I hadn't matured fully yet, and still needed him, so I gave him some of my own energy so he could go on, but the fool used it to try and defeat you instead."

Vegeta nodded in understanding. It wasn't hard to figure out the rest. "So you simply stayed inside his body and hitched a ride back here."

He received a nod in response. "Indeed. I've fully matured, but I wanted to see how strong you had become, so I let Frieza and his family fight you. But now the secret is out, and it's time to take my revenge for all the Tuffles you and your kind killed. You damn monkeys will pay for all the sins of your past, I'll see to it personally!"

He seemed to have finished his tale, and Bulma looked to Vegeta, both of them, for confirmation. Instead of a response, the younger of the two saiyans began laughing. This seemed to irritate Baby.

"What's so damn funny, monkey?"

Vegeta got control of himself. "Why, you are." He glanced at his father. "Don't you find it amusing how the poor defenseless Tuffles were victims to the mean and nasty saiyans?"

The king grinned. "Yes, it's very convenient for you to make them out to be the victims and completely ignore the sins they committed. Our so-called sins were not so sinful."

Baby frowned. "Yes, I'm sure. Robbers always have their reasons, as the saying goes."

Bulma was lost. "So wait, did that happen, or did it not?"

"Oh, it did." Vegeta told her. "Just not the way he describes."

Baby crossed his arms. "Is that so? Then go ahead and tell her what you think happened. I'd love to hear the lies your saiyan history is based off of."

Vegeta glanced at his father. "May I, Father?"

The king nodded. "If you wish."

Vegeta grinned. "Very well, I'll tell you what really happened. It's actually rather ironic since it brings everything between the saiyans, the Tuffles, and the Icejins full circle. Here it goes. About 3,000 years ago, on another planet whose name and location have long since forgotten, the saiyan race thrived as the dominant species on the planet. We were less civilized and more savage back then, but we were always fighters."

His voice darkened. "But one day, the saiyans were invaded by a gang of space pirates led by none other than Frieza's very ancestor. They had come to take over the planet. This was back when the Planet Trade Organization was nothing more than a gang of thugs, but just as ruthless, and Frieza's great grandfather, many times over, Lord Chilled was their leader."

Bulma had a sudden urge to roll her eyes.  _'Seriously, Lord Chilled? What's next, Lord Refrigerator and Lady Arctica with their heir, Young Master Mint.'_

Vegeta was oblivious to her sarcastic thoughts as he continued his tale. "As strong as the saiyans were, they were outmatched by Chilled's power. That is, until Broly, son of Paragus, stepped forward to face him. At first he was overwhelmed by Chilled, but then it happened. He transformed into the legendary Super Saiyan."

Bulma leaned in. This was the story of how the legend of the Super Saiyan came to be. She'd never heard it in full detail before.

For dramatic affect, Vegeta transformed. "Once he transformed, he easily overpowered Chilled and drove him off the planet. According to the rumors spread among by Frieza's men, Chilled died that day from his injuries, but not before ordering his men to warn his family of the powerful super being called a saiyan."

"And thus the legend of the Super Saiyan was born." His father added.

"Of the Super Saiyan!" the other saiyans echoed.

Bulma scratched her head. "This is all very fascinating, but what's it got to do with the Tuffles?"

"If you'll be silent, you'll hear." King Vegeta snapped.

Vegeta chuckled and powered down. "Now, Father. She was just asking a simply question. She's a scientist, it's in her nature; just as fighting is in ours. But to answer her question, it has to do with it because this is why the saiyans fled their home planet. You see, Broly was unable to control his incredible Super Saiyan power. He ended up destroying himself and the entire planet, along with nearly the entire race. But a group had escaped on one of Chilled's men's ships during Broly's rampage."

"Ah," said Baby, smirking, "now we get to the part where the saiyan scum invaded and destroyed the Tuffles."

Vegeta didn't argue with that. "It's true. The saiyans eventually crash landed on Planet Plant. And yes, the Tuffles did accept them. They shared their ways and taught them many things. However, they weren't the saviors Baby here has made them out to be. They didn't treat the saiyans as equals. They thought they were superior to the saiyans since they were so smart. They treated the saiyans as slaves, making them do all kinds of work. And while the Tuffles lived in great cities, the saiyans were forced to live in small primitive villages in the outskirts and badlands of the planet."

There were comments of agreements from the saiyans, some of which Bulma had a feeling had actually lived in these poor villages.

"Over the years, the saiyans grew and repopulated their race," Vegeta continued. "And after awhile, the Saiyans began to grow tired of living in filthy primitive villages and being treated like slaves. Until one day, my father and the other saiyans finally turned on the Tuffles. And so, the great war began. The rest of Baby's story, of how the saiyans defeated the Tuffles is true, but under much different circumstances for why the war began." He scowled and what was next to come. "Unfortunately, the taking of the planet, renaming it in honor of my father, attracted the attention of the same space pirate gang that had grown into the Planet Trade Organization. At first, the Arcosians, the residents of Planet Arcose offered the saiyans work in exchange for money and technology, but after seeing what a good job the saiyans did, Frieza forcefully drafted all the saiyans into his line of work. We were slaves once again, but unlike the Tuffles, Frieza's men just weren't polite about it."

"Bah!" Baby snarled. "What nonsense! And you accuse me of making the Tuffles out to be the victims. Certainly you would make it so you're history displays you as just in your actions."

At first, Bulma was inclined to agree with Baby. From what she knew of the saiyans, they were indeed capable of doing all the terrible things the Tuffle accused them of and more. However, what Vegeta said next changed that.

"You're accusing us of changing history?" he asked with a grin. "We have no need to do such things. The thought that we saiyans were ever slaves to the pathetic Tuffle race is insulting. We'd much rather have your version be the one that really happened. The thought of we saiyans simply invading and conquering rather than living as slaves in the badlands is far more appealing."

This statement alone led Bulma to believe that Vegeta's version was far more accurate. If there was one thing she knew about saiyans, it was that they despised weakness. Having been slaves would be a serious blow to their pride, and right and wrong didn't seem to matter much to most of them when their pride was involved. So why would the saiyans deliberately alter their history to make themselves out as having been slaves if they really were conquers like Baby said? That meant that Baby was either lying, or his creators had led him to believe something that didn't happen. And if Baby was simply a method for the Tuffles to take revenge, then that was a good possibility.

In any case, it seemed the king had had enough. "I'm done listening to this. It's time to get rid of you." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Step aside, son. I'll deal with this. I began the war with the Tuffles, its on only right that I truly put an end to it once and for all."

Baby grinned evilly. "Oh, good. I was waiting for this."

Bulma had a bad feeling. Pressing a button on her scouter, she took a quick reading. King Vegeta's power level was 12,000, and Baby's power level was…

"Oh my god…" she muttered, just as the king charged. "Your majesty, wait!"

It was too late to stop anything. Grinning victoriously, Baby raised his hand and fired a beam of energy. King Vegeta's eyes widened as the beam hit him. When it faded away, he was left with an enormous hole in his torso.

Watching in horror, Bulma finished, much too late, the rest of her warning. "He has a power level of 130,000,000!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: If you couldn't figure out which part of the history was changed to fit the story, it was the part about Broly being the original Super Saiyan from 3000 years ago and Chilled having attacked the original saiyan planet. And how about that for a twist. Baby was inside Frieza the whole time. If you recall in chapter 17, one of Frieza's men had contacted him and told him that they found something interesting that he needed to see, and in chapter 26, Frieza was talking to Ginyu about his sources on the Dragon Balls. Oh, by the way, that number is Baby's actual power level. In hindsight, he's a real weakling, unless he gets inside someone powerful. That won't be necessary though wince he's currently stronger than everyone else.)


	52. Battle of Vengeance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The time has come for Vegeta to face the true mastermind behind all his plights from the last forty something chapters. And Baby will be doing the actual fighting rather than hiding in someone else's body. At this point, he has more than enough power to do it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 52: Battle of Vengeance**

No one seemed to have heard her. Everyone's eyes were fixed on King Vegeta. A shower of blood sprayed from the gapping hole in his gut as he fell backwards, collapsing to the ground.

"Father!" both Vegeta and Tarble shouted.

They were at his side in an instant. The king lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood gathering beneath him.

"Father, Father!" Vegeta cried.

"Please don't die." Tarble begged, tears appearing in his eyes. "I lost you once, I can't lose you again."

The king reached up with the last of his strength, placing his hands on his sons' shoulders. His mouth worked to speak, but no sound came out. His grip slackened and his arms fell to his sides, his eyes dead and unseeing.

"Father!" Vegeta shouted as Tarble began to weep.

"The king has fallen!" a saiyan shouted, and was soon followed by shouts and cries from the rest of the saiyans.

Baby chuckled. "And not soon enough." He said, stomping down on the medallion the king wore, which had broken off during the attack and rolled in front of him.

Vegeta's gaze shifted to the Tuffle. Rage twisted his features and he transformed. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

He flew at the Tuffle, throwing a punch. Baby vanished, and he hit nothing but air, much to his surprise. He then felt someone gripping his hair and he was tossed into the sky. He halted his momentum, and was astonished to see Baby lazily floating a distance away.

"Damn you!"

He fired a blast of energy, but Baby vanished again. He was suddenly back-to-back with the saiyan prince. Vegeta spun around, punching, but Baby grabbed his arm, twisting it at a painful angle.

"You're going to have to do better than that." he told him.

Pain exploded in various places on Vegeta's body as the Machine Mutant moved faster than he could see while keeping a painful grip on his arm.

"I'm not going to finish you off quickly like your father." The Tuffle told him. "You're going to suffer before you die."

Vegeta cried out as Baby dislocated his arm. The Tuffle snickered and brought his elbow down on him, sending the saiyan prince crashing to the ground. He landed a short distance away from the dust cloud that had formed when Vegeta crashed.

"Save the prince!" a saiyan shouted, which was followed by battle cries from the others.

Baby grinned as the saiyans rushed forward. "Yes, come to die."

But an explosion of energy from the dust cloud halted them in their tracks. "Stand down!" Vegeta shouted, gripping his dislocated arm. "This one is mine!" Ignoring the pain, he pulled his dislocated arm back into place, then returned his gaze to the Machine Mutant. "Don't get overconfident just because you got in a few good hits."

The Tuffle laughed. "Typical saiyan arrogance. You have no idea where your place is. Well, by the time I'm done with you, you'll all know that even the mighty Super Saiyan's place will be lower than the shit on my boots."

Bulma looked worriedly at Vegeta. Baby had a power level of 130,000,000 while Vegeta, in his Super Saiyan form, only had a power level of 41,500,000. He didn't stand a chance. "Vegeta, listen to me-"

"Shut up woman!" he shouted, holding out his arms and gathering his energy. "Big Bang Attack!"

He unleashed one of his most powerful attacks at the Tuffle, but Baby just continued grinning. He held up one hand and caught the giant beam of energy, holding it in a single gathering of power.

"You call that an attack?" he taunted. "How very pathetic."

He tossed the blast back at Vegeta. The saiyan prince took to the air, as did the other saiyans, to avoid the blast.

"Damn him." Vegeta muttered.

"No," he heard Baby whisper in his ear from behind him, "damn you." The Tuffle's hand wrapped around his neck from behind and his fist slammed into Vegeta's back. "Damn all you miserable barbaric saiyans."

His hand still buried in Vegeta's back, he opened his fist and unleashed a blast of energy. Vegeta was carried off by the blast, colliding with a building, bringing the whole structure down.

"Disgusting creatures." Baby snarled. "I'm going to make you pay for all your sins."

There was an explosion and debris was sent flying to reveal Vegeta in the wreckage. With a cry of rage, he unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Machine Mutant. Baby just laughed as the attacks collided with him, seemingly doing zero damage.

"How pathetic. The power of a Super Saiyan is nothing against Tuffle ingenuity."

He flew down towards the saiyan prince, straight through the flying balls of energy, burying his fist in Vegeta's gut. Blood flew from his mouth as Baby's fist dug deeply into his stomach.

Vegeta's feet gave out and he collapsed, clutching his stomach. Baby smiled down at him, reaching down and picking him up. He lifted him over his head and shouted, "Feel the pain of my people!"

He brought the saiyan prince down on his knee. Vegeta cried out as pain exploded in his back, but the Tuffle didn't give him a chance to recover as he spun him around and threw him through the air. Vegeta slammed into a mountain and remained stuck there.

"Behold," Baby declared, "you're legendary Super Saiyan. He has fallen to the power of the Tuffles." He turned to the others. "Your legend, your royalty, your best has fallen, and with little to no effort on my part."

"Don't be so sure, Baby!"

Turning around, the Tuffle saw Vegeta flying towards him and felt the saiyan's fist collide with his face, snapping his head to the side. Shock registered across Vegeta's face as he saw that the only thing he had accomplished was making the Machine Mutant angry.

"Don't call me that!" he snarled, his own fist making contact with Vegeta's jaw, sending him flying.

The ground shredded beneath Vegeta's body as he skidded across the rocky surface. When he finally stopped moving and opened his eyes, he saw the Tuffle standing over him again.

"I've never claimed that name as my own." He growled. "It's a degrading name that came from a mad doctor."

Vegeta forced a grin. "Really? I think it suits you. You certainly sound like a baby."

Anger twisted the Machine Mutant's face and he repeatedly stomped down on Vegeta's stomach. "You saiyans don't know when to shut up! You have no respect for your betters!" He stopped stomping and bent down, wrapping his fingers around Vegeta's neck and lifting him up. "You are a pathetic miserable excuse for a race that never should have existed in the first place, and I am going to see to it that you disappear from this world."

Another grin was forced upon the saiyan prince's face. "And what does that say of your race that fell before the saiyans?"

Baby growled and slammed his elbow into Vegeta's chest. The saiyan prince cried out and reverted back to normal, unable to hold the Super Saiyan transformation.

"The Tuffles are the saiyans betters in every way. We would have won the war if it wasn't for your flea infested monkey transformations." He pushed Vegeta backwards, watching as he sputtered and gasped on the ground. "What's wrong? Nothing to say, monkey?"

He kicked him in the side, sending Vegeta flying into the crowd of saiyans. They caught him, helping him to stand up, but Vegeta seemed unable to stay on his feet.

"Sire, are you sure you don't want help?" one asked.

Though his body was aching, Vegeta's pride refused to let him accept help in fighting a Tuffle. "I… don't need… you fools…"

Baby laughed as he approached. "You're as stubborn as you are stupid." He looked at the saiyans glaring at him. "Back off!"

He let his energy flare outward, pushing the saiyans back. Vegeta was able to hold his ground and remain standing, though he was clearly breathing hard. "I am the prince of all saiyans. I am the legendary Super Saiyan. I will not be made a fool of by a Tuffle turned science experiment."

He transformed again and charged. Baby sidestepped and kicked upward, sending Vegeta flying straight up. He joined him in the air and began pummeling him with kicks and punches.

Down on the ground, Bulma watched in horror as Baby dealt his punishment on Vegeta. The stupid saiyan prince was letting his pride prevent him from asking for help. Not that any of the saiyans could do much of anything against such a powerful being. Maybe Goku could be of some use if he weren't completely drained from fighting Cooler.

Her gaze shifted to Broly. The big brute was the only chance they had left. At full strength, his power was 220,000,000, far above Baby's power, but to unleash his true power would result in him losing control. She would have to be careful with how much power she gave him access to.

She activated the control device. "Broly, get up there and help Vegeta."

Broly cocked his head to the side, not understanding. "Beggie?"

Bulma growled in frustration and pointed at the Tuffle. "That one, get that one!"

Broly's attention shifted towards the Tuffle and he slowly floated in the air. Bulma realized that she was going to have to decrease the intensity of the control device's seal on his power in order to allow him to really fight.

As she decreased the device's power, Broly's began to rise. His fists clenched and a greenish-gold aura appeared around him as his true power came forth. He roared loudly, his power exploding outward and sped through the air towards the two combatants.

Baby halted in his beating to glance at the approaching bio-warrior. An evil grin spread across his face as his body liquefied and flew towards him.

Broly stopped flying as the wave of liquid metal that Baby had melted into flowed over him. It covered his whole body and began moving up towards his head, disappearing into Broly's open mouth and down his throat.

"What the hell?" Vegeta muttered as he watched the unusual display.

Broly looked at Vegeta, and gave him a smile that was very different from the blank zombie-like look that was always on his face. He roared loudly, unleashing a stream of power outward. Turning back to Vegeta, he chuckled evilly, and then spoke in a distorted voice.

"I like this one, Vegeta." Broly said, his voice sounding eerily like Baby's. "I'm certain I could find use for him."

A piece of flesh protruded from Broly's body and disconnected, turning into the Tuffle again. The Machine Mutant laughed and looked over his shoulder at the bio-warrior. "Go down and keep the others in line."

Broly grunted, sounding back to normal, and dropped from the sky, landing in front of the saiyans, growling.

"Hey, what's going on?" Bulma asked. "Why aren't you helping?" Broly just growled at her. Bulma took a step back and held up the wristband. "I said go get Baby, now go."

Broly snarled and grabbed his head, his power flaring up around him. With a roar, he threw a punch at her. Bulma cried out, but was rescued by Tarble, pulling her out of the way as Broly's fist shattered the ground.

Up in the sky, Vegeta watched the display angrily. "Darn that woman. Her stupid device broke."

Baby laughed. "Oh no, her device is working just fine. It's just that she's not the one in control anymore."

Vegeta looked at him. "What do you mean?"

The Tuffle smirked at the bruised and bloody saiyan prince. "I said before that the Tuffles had created me to be a parasitic organism. Don't you know what a parasite is, Vegeta?"

"Of course I know!" the saiyan prince snapped impatiently.

"Wow," Baby taunted, "so your intelligence is at least that of a child. Well, you may know what a parasite is, but you've never encountered one like me." He snickered. "As you just saw, I have the power to enter another's body and take control of them."

"Is that what you did?" Vegeta asked rhetorically. He glanced at Broly. "But you're not inside him any more."

Baby laughed. "Yes, and now you will know the true depths of my power. My purpose is not just to destroy the saiyan race, but also to dominate the entire universe."

"Dominate the universe?"

"You see, Vegeta, when I enter a host's body, I have the ability to lay an egg inside them. Once that egg hatches," he glanced at Broly, "which you can see happens very quickly, it unleashes a special pheromone that alters the host's mind and turns them into my willing slaves."

Surprise crossed Vegeta's face. "What?"

Baby laughed. "Yes, I will rule this universe as the supreme leader. I will spread to every race on every planet in every galaxy. Free will is a disease, and I am the cure."

Vegeta spat at him in disgust. "I think you have that backwards."

Baby shook his finger at him. "You're wrong, Vegeta. All creatures are meant to be my slaves. I am the dominant life form of the universe, and I shall take my place as the ruler of all races."

Vegeta scoffed at this. "And this is the ultimate plan that your race of so-called  _innocent_  and  _peaceful_  Tuffles have decided upon?"

Baby glared at him. "Don't belittle my people. Never again shall the Tuffles be a peaceful race. I will spread across this universe, cleansing all races so that they shall be reborn as Tuffles. And your race of saiyans is first."

Vegeta gave him a sickened look. "I would rather die than be infected by vermin like you."

Baby laughed. "Oh, don't worry, you shall. The rest of your race will be nothing but willing slaves, but you, Vegeta, and the rest of your royal family, are not fit to live in my universe. You will die, and you will die knowing that you failed, and that your entire race, along with the rest of the universe, will belong to me."

"Like hell!"

He fired a blast of energy, but the Tuffle easily slapped it aside. His eyes flashed brightly and Vegeta was blinded. He then sensed Baby behind him and felt the parasite's arm wrap around his throat.

"You truly don't know when to give up."

His elbow came down on Vegeta's head, knocking him out of the Tuffle's grip. Before he hit the ground, Baby easily caught up with him and grabbed his leg. His other hand came flying towards him in a punch that struck Vegeta in the stomach.

More blood went flying from Vegeta's mouth as he lost his hold on the Super Saiyan state again. His vision began to return as he looked up at the Tuffle's smiling face and tried to kick him. Baby easily floated out of the way and delivered his own kick, sending Vegeta backwards.

Stopping his momentum, Vegeta gathered all his remaining energy and transformed again. Turning back to Baby, he prepared to unleash his remaining power. "Final Flash!"

The attack that had nearly undone Frieza came rushing towards the Tuffle parasite. A scowl crossed Baby's face and he wailed loudly as he unleashed his Revenge Blast. An explosive wave of pink energy was unleashed through his scream, and Vegeta's Final Blast slammed against it as if hitting a wall. The attack was easily deflected as the waves of energy kept going, colliding with Vegeta and sending the saiyan prince flying.

Speeding through the air, Baby grabbed hold of Vegeta around the mouth before he was thrown too far back. The saiyan prince had dropped the Super Saiyan transformation again, his strength all but gone.

"It's over, Vegeta." Baby told him. "You're beaten. You played your best card and you failed. Now the time has come for you to die, and for me to begin the takeover of your miserable race." He glanced down at the others and his grin widened as he looked back at the saiyan prince. "And you know what, I've taken a real liking to your blue-haired girlfriend, Bulma. She's very pretty, and her intelligence rivals that of a Tuffle. Once I takeover her, I'm going to make her my queen."

Vegeta's eyes flickered open as he stared at the Machine Mutant furiously. Baby just chuckled, his fingers digging into the saiyan prince's cheeks. "It's just a shame that you defiled her, but once she's reborn as a Tuffle, I'm sure I'll be able to get over the fact that you had her first." His grin widened as he watched the fury in Vegeta's eyes. "Oh, does that make you angry, Vegeta, to know that I'll have her and you won't, that I'll be the one bringing her pleasure, that'll it'll be my children she bares and not yours?" He sneered as Vegeta struggled even more. "Oh, you don't like that, do you? Well, maybe you'll now know how my ancestors felt when you took everything from them." He placed his hand against Vegeta's stomach and began gathering energy for a final attack. "Take a good look, Vegeta, this will be the last time you see your beloved planet before I reclaim it."

He fired. The blast collided with Vegeta, carrying him up and away. The saiyan prince was unable to break away from the blast as it carried him up higher and higher. The gathering of saiyans got smaller and smaller, as did the building, as he was brought father up into space. It wasn't until he broke the planet's atmosphere and there was no longer any oxygen to breathe that the blast erupted in a giant explosion.

Thousands of miles beneath the blast, Baby looked up at the explosion with an evil grin plastered on his face. He'd finally done it. He'd avenged his ancestors for what the saiyans did to them so long ago.

Well, he at least avenged them against the royal family, excluding the younger prince and his mate. The king and the legend were dead. There was no hope let for them. There was nothing to stop him from enslaving the rest of the monkeys, and then moving on to the rest of the universe. It would no doubt take several millennia to accomplish this, but he had the time; he would live forever after all.

Dropping down from the sky, he landed in front of the gathering of saiyans. An evil grin spread across his face as he turned his attention to them. "Well," he said tauntingly, "shall we begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The king is dead and Vegeta's been beaten. Goku is powerless right now and Broly's been possessed. Things have definitely taken a turn for the worst. Is there anyone left who can beat Baby? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z! Sorry, couldn't resist adding that last part.)


	53. In Hiding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I've been sick with a cold these past few days. It kept me home from work, allowing me plenty of time to write, but too lousy to do it. But I managed to get through another chapter. I'm all better now too, but you're probably more interested in what happens next in my story, so lets get to it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 53: In Hiding**

In the days that followed the defeat of both the saiyan king and prince, Baby had spread like the plague. The saiyans fought back, but could do nothing against the parasite. He infected everyone he came in contact with, and, in turn, those infected by him brought him more victims he could infect. Friends and family alike turned on each other once they were infected. Very quickly, a large percent of the saiyan race had fallen under Baby's control.

The remaining saiyans went into hiding, some waiting for a chance to strike, others simply to escape being infected. But Baby was adamant about having every last saiyan becoming his slave. Now the hunt was on for the ones he had yet to infect. And with his super genius intelligence, he was conducting ways to draw out the remaining saiyans, and even preventing them from fighting back once they had been discovered.

Among those untainted by the parasite, there were three that Baby set his sights on above all others, and they were to be brought to him at any cost. The first was Tarble. As the last of the royal family, Baby wanted him under his control, but the young prince had vanished shortly after his brother's defeat and the infection began, as had the other two.

The second one he wanted was Bulma. As intelligent as he was, he also recognized Bulma's ingenuity. He wanted it for his own; who knew what they could accomplish once they put their minds together. Not to mention he intended to take her as his woman, just as he'd told Vegeta. And he also needed her to control Broly's power. He may have the mutant saiyan as one of his followers, but Broly would still go berserk without that collar around his neck, and he was as weak as any other saiyan without access to his true power.

The third, and probably number one on Baby's list of those to infect, was Bardock. After having learned of the saiyan's psychic abilities, the Tuffle wanted him desperately. Someone with the ability to predict the future was highly valuable. Even though he was already the strongest person in the universe, having someone who could inform him of any attacks that may come in the future was incredibly useful.

Unfortunately, for Baby, that very ability is what allowed the saiyan to avoid getting captured for so long. But he suspected that he was still somewhere in the city. He hoped to have the saiyan caught soon, otherwise it would be too late and Bardock would die.

Though the saiyans weren't a large race, Baby knew that it would be difficult to capture  _every_  last saiyan on the planet without a bit of help. So he had special machines built to help him. These machines, which he had received the blueprints for through memory implantation from his ancestors, generated a toxic substance called Destron Gas. Like trees converted carbon dioxide in oxygen, these machines converted both oxygen  _and_  carbon dioxide into Destron Gas.

Destron Gas was a lethal substance if exposed to it for too long. With his machines pumping it into the air, the very planet would die in a few months. But that wasn't his goal. The planet would eventually recover once the machines were turned off. No, the purpose of the Destron Gas aided him in his plan to infect the saiyan race, and eventually, the universe. To those exposed to the gas, it blocked their  _ki_ , preventing them from using energy attacks, which was a serious blow to anyone who stood against him. It also slowly killed anyone who breathed it in for too long. Breathing the Destron Gas for days on end would eventually result in death.

Not for Baby though, or his followers. Baby was immune to the affects of the Destron Gas, as were his followers. The eggs he laid in their heads that controlled them also released an antidote for the Destron Gas, not just keeping his followers alive, but also allowing them to continue using energy attacks while anyone who he hadn't infected couldn't. And if anyone managed to avoid getting infected long enough, they would simply die from exposure to the Destron Gas. In the end, it left the saiyans with two choices, get infected by Baby, or die a in a few months time from the gas. Either way, only Baby and his followers would remain. And once he finished with this planet, he would turn off the Destron Gas generators to let the planet recover and move onto the next one, repeating the process all over again.

But first he had to finish up here. And while a majority of his followers were searching for anyone he still needed to infect, the rest were working on his master plan. Like the Destron Gas generators, Baby had also received memory implants for the blueprints of something else that would make him truly invincible once it was complete, allowing his ancestors to finally take their revenge and eventually dominate the entire universe.

Smirking, he looked up at the enormous machine as his followers worked to the best of their abilities. "It's coming along nicely." He commented.

The nearest follower bowed to him. "It will be complete on schedule, my lord. Soon no one will be able to stand in your way."

A sinister chuckle escaped the Tuffle. "There already isn't anyone who can."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Gohan poked his head out from his hiding place. The streets were crawling with Baby's followers. Gohan couldn't even think of them as saiyans any longer. They may be saiyans in body, but in their minds they were Tuffles, and Baby's devoted slaves. So many people had been taken, saiyan and servant alike. Gohan had even lost his mother, his grandparents, his aunt, his uncle, even his father, having still been weak from his fight with Cooler and unable to resist, had been taken over. Currently, only one member of his family was still free from Baby's control, and that was his grandfather on his father's side.

Bardock stood beside his grandson, looking more irritable than ever. "I hate this running and hiding." He grumbled. "I want to fight."

Gohan looked up at him. "But Grandpa Bardock, you can't take that risk. We need to keep you out of Baby's control at all costs, even my life. You know what will happen if he gets you."

Bardock sighed. "Yeah, I know."

They had to prevent Baby from gaining access to his psychic powers no matter what. Baby was already unbeatable, but if he were to gain the psychic saiyan…

But Bardock seriously hated running. He'd already had his whole team sacrifice themselves for him as they fought off Baby's followers so he could get away. Now those closest to him were the ones that were the most determine to capture him and present him to their new master.

Seeing that his grandfather wasn't going to do anything stupid, Gohan peaked out of his hiding place again. He could see Baby now, standing beside whatever nightmarish machine the others were building, Destron Gas generators on both sides of him, and Broly standing guard. Gohan didn't know what this new machine was for, and, quite frankly, he didn't want to know. He wanted nothing more than to blast it, and the two gas generators, but he couldn't use any energy attacks with the Destron Gas in the air. And they were too heavily guarded to go in on their own and destroy them with their bare hands.

As he had frequently done over the past few days, Gohan kept an eye out for his parents. Next to Broly when he had his power unleashed, his father was the strongest of Baby's followers. To run into him would be trouble. Hopefully, his father would be with his mother. It had been discovered a few days ago that his mother was pregnant again, and his father had been dotting on her ever since, even in his possessed state.

As a future big brother, Gohan couldn't stand the thought of his unborn sibling becoming another one of Baby's victims. The evil Tuffle had decreed that the moment any child was born, they were to be taken to him to be infected, or "cleansed" as Baby and his followers referred to it. The thought had the young saiyan feeling completely disgusted. He'd rather be dead than a mind slave to the parasite.

Sighing, he turned back to his grandfather. "Grandpa, its getting too crowded here. We're going to have to move."

Bardock groaned, but didn't argue. He and his grandson checked their surroundings and crept from their hiding spot. Flying was out of the question; they would be spotted instantly. They had to keep to the ground. And it would be no use trying to blend in with the crowd and pretend to be a follower; anyone infected could somehow sense anyone who wasn't one of "them".

As Gohan led the way, he immediately ducked behind a destroyed building as he spotted an infected saiyan flying around. He accidentally kicked some rubble, making enough noise to give away their position.

The infected saiyan, who was known as Onio, suddenly turned in their direction and fired a blast of energy. He was way off from where the two saiyans were actually hiding, but now he knew that someone or something was there, and began flying towards them.

"Oh, no." Gohan whispered, sensing the infected saiyan approaching. "He's coming."

Bardock's agitation had reached its peak. "Screw this!"

He flew out from his hiding spot, suppressing his energy as much as possible. The infected saiyan's eyes widened in surprise as Barock's fist slammed into his gut, followed by a blow to the back of his head that knocked him out.

Gohan hurried out of his hiding place. "Grandpa, what if they sensed that?"

"We were in trouble either way." Bardock told him. "This one would have raised the alarm."

An evil chuckle reached him. "Oh, but you are in trouble, my friend."

Bardock swore. He knew that voice. It was Tora, his best friend and mate to his sister. He saw the larger saiyan standing on top of the fallen building with his arms crossed as he looked down at the other two. He wasn't alone either, Fasha was with him, as was Borgos. Bardock briefly wandered where the other member of his team, Shugesh, was at the moment. Probably searching for him in another part of the city.

"It's time you were purified." Borgos told them. "Will you come quietly, or do you intend to resist?"

"What do you think?" Bardock snarled.

Tora cracked his knuckles. "Resist it is then." He glanced at his companions. "Remember, we need Bardock alive, but the kid is expendable."

"Although it doesn't have to be this way." Fasha added. "Come on, brother dear, why don't you and Gohan there join us. Then we can be one big happy family again."

Bardock laughed loudly and humorlessly. "A family? Is that what you call it? You're nothing but mind slaves, mere extensions of Baby infecting you to make you his devoted servants. You obey him without thought or question, with no free will that disgusting parasite isn't manipulating to his benefit. You and I are hardly even related anymore. You're barely even saiyans right now."

Tora glared at him. "While we take that last part as a compliment, we will not stand for you to insult Lord Baby."

You will pay dearly for this." Borgos declared.

"Had he not ordered us to capture you alive," Fasha added, "I'd kill you myself."

Bardock took a fighting stance. "Then you might as well, because you'll  _never_  take me alive."

Instantly, he and the three infected saiyans vanished. Explosions went off in the sky as they broke out in battle.

"Grandpa, wait!" Gohan shouted.

This was bad. They shouldn't be fighting. If they gave off too much energy, those that had learned to sense others' presence would know they were here. Even if that wasn't the case, they were at a disadvantage. After having his power boosted by Guru, Gohan was a lot stronger. Both he and Bardock were more powerful than these three, but they had been in hiding for days, not getting enough food or sleep. Fighting wasn't the answer; they had to flee.

Gohan flew up into the air to where the four were fighting. "Grandpa, shut your eyes." He gave no further warning. "Solar Flare!"

Tora, Fasha, and Borgos cried out as they were blinded. Gohan grabbed his grandfather's arm and dragged him away. Bardock resisted for a moment, then went along with him, leaving his former companions behind to recover from the attack. They hadn't gotten too far before something appeared in front of them and they were both knocked to the ground.

"Gohan, why are you running away?" the person said. Gohan looked up into the once friendly cheerful face of his father. "Don't you know how worried your mother and I have been?"

Gohan glared at him, reminding himself that this wasn't really his father, not in his mind. His real father was gone, and the body before him was just an empty shell that Baby had infected with his essence.

Goku turned to Bardock. "You too, Father. Raditz and I have been looking for you everywhere, and Mother misses you terribly."

Bardock growled. "You mother and brother are nothing more than mindless hosts to that horrible creature, as are you."

Goku grinned evilly. "That's not very nice. No matter what changes we've gone through, we're still your family. As for the mindless part, you're very wrong about that. We're quite capable of thinking on our own. Our minds have just been open up to the glory of our lord and master."

"You're no different than a brainwashed cult worshipping a demon as a god. And I know a thing or two about cults after conquering Planet Luud. Actually, you're even worse."

"Lets agree to disagree." Goku reasoned. "For now anyway. Soon you'll be seeing things our way."

Fury ignited within Gohan, and he felt power flowing through him. He knew that neither he nor his grandfather were a match for him. His father was much stronger and faster, not to mention he had Instant Transmission. Their only hope was to distract him long enough to get away.

"Grandpa," he said, "I'll try to hold him off while you get away."

Bardock turned to his grandson, ready to argue. This was something they had gone over numerous times over the past few days. "Forget about it. I'm not leaving you here alone. I'm not losing anymore family to these freaks."

"I don't matter," Gohan argued back, "but we have to keep your power out of Baby's hands at all costs!"

He flew towards his father, the two breaking out in a fight. Goku pulled no punches. Gohan had spared with his father before, but Goku always went easy on him. But not this time. This time, Gohan was learning first hand just how strong his father was.

Bardock remained where he was, looking torn. He didn't want to leave his grandson, but knew he had to get away before he was caught. Not for the first time, he cursed this power he had been given.

"Grandpa, go!" Gohan shouted. "You have to leave now! You know I'm right! Forget about what you want to do and do what you have to do!"

Bardock ground his teeth together furiously. "DAMN IT!" He bellowed, and took off.

"Not so fast." Goku said, knocking Gohan away and speeding after his father.

Gohan  _hated_  fighting his father, but he couldn't let his grandfather be caught. It would give Baby far too much power, and he already had too much. Cupping his hands together, he summoned up all his strength.

"Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

He got lucky. The Destron Gas hadn't spread this far yet and he could still access his energy attacks. A powerful Kamehameha Wave flew at Goku. He was forced to abandon the chase and turn around to block it. He caught the powerful energy blast, struggling with it for a few moments before tossing it upward.

The next thing Gohan knew, his father's fist was buried in his gut. As he doubled over in pain, Goku's elbow came down on him from above, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Let me show you how it's done." He said. "Ka-me-ha-me-HA!"

With no care to his son's wellbeing, he unleashed his attack. A mighty explosion spread across the ground, which Gohan was caught in the middle of. And when the dust finally cleared, he lay battered and beaten in a large crater, barely conscious.

Goku landed by the boy's side, looking down at him in disgust. "Well done, Gohan. You managed to let your grandfather escape." A sick smile twisted his features. "But that's ok. I'm sure you can help us find him again once you've been purified."

Gohan struggled to open his eyes. "Dad… please…"

Goku chuckled. "Don't worry; soon you really will be my son once again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Pretty dark chapter. No Bulma or Vegeta in this one either. And poor Gohan. I feel bad for Bardock too, having to run away like that, but he can't let Baby get hold of his powers. Things will progress further next chapter. Sort of. I'll be revealing more stuff from the past, and they'll be a twist.)


	54. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter will reflect on the past, mostly dealing with Baby and the role he played in everything up until now. And there's a surprise at the end.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 54: Memories**

Baby stepped up to the semi-conscious Gohan after his father carelessly tossed him at the machine mutant's feet. With a smirk, he instantly liquefied and flowed over the boy, slipping into his body through the various cuts, scraps, and any other orifices. Normally, Baby liked to wait until his victims were the peak of their strength so he knew that once he was inside of them they wouldn't be able to fight his control by surprising him by suddenly powering up. He'd already gone through a situation like that before, and it nearly cost him his life, but he had been saved by his quick thinking. But the boy was too weakened to resist him at all, so that wasn't an issue.

As he entered the boy completely, his liquid form soaked into the boy's body, seizing control over it. Once he spread to the boy's brain, he took over his mind. If he wanted to, he could have stayed inside him and controlled the boy completely, but the thought of staying inside a saiyan body any longer than what was necessary sickened him to no end.

Instead, he laid an egg that attached itself to the boy's brain. After a few seconds, the egg hatched and began unleashing a substance that turned the boy into his willing slave, just like all the others. With that done, he exited the boy's body and reformed again, feeling in desperate need of a shower after having been inside a saiyan.

Gohan's eyes snapped open, glowing red for a few moments before returning to their normal color. He had become another one of Baby's followers. The Tuffle smirked at the thought, though he was disappointed that the boy didn't know where his grandfather had run off to. It had been a safety measure on his part. The boy knew that if Baby had ever gotten inside his head that he would be able to read his mind, so any plans his grandfather had of where to hide were kept hidden from the boy.

No matter, he would find the elusive psychic saiyan soon enough. He still had a few months before Bardock succumbed to the Destron Gas. Surely he could find a single saiyan before then. He wanted that psychic power; it would be very useful to him.

So far, things had been going according to plan. Not exactly as he had intended before he had fully developed, but the end result was turning out to be the same. He nearly had control over the entire saiyan race, and soon he would spread to the rest of the universe. He was in no real hurry; he had plenty of time since he would live forever, one of the many benefits of being a Machine Mutant.

Not even his Tuffle ancestors had dreamed that their plan for revenge would be so successful. And it was all thanks to Dr. Myuu. The mad scientist, with his insane dream to turn everyone in the galaxy into cybernetics organisms, had made him so much greater than what the Tuffles thought he could be.

It had been so easy to use the doctor. After he had discovered Baby while he was merely a parasitic organism and began to develop him, Baby had used the doctor's dream and intelligence against him. He fed him information and gave him ideas on how to expand his dream to be so much more than what he intended, unknowingly becoming a pawn in Baby's plans.

But all that had nearly been ruined a few months ago when the invasion of Planet M-2 occurred. He still remembered what happened back then, even though he had been little more than a fetus at the time.

Even in his incubation state, he was aware of what was going on around him. Being plugged into the main computer gave him access of all data that flowed through the machine city that covered most of the planet. But in his current fetus state, there was little to nothing he could do.

The invasion had happened quickly and with no warning. An elite team of some of Frieza's best men had come to conquer the planet. At the time, the planet was inhabited almost completely by worker robots. While some had certain combat abilities, they were not fighters and were overpowered by the invaders. General Rildo and the Sigma Force, who were meant to be the planet's warriors, had not yet been completed and were easily defeated by Frieza's men.

Dr. Myuu was all brains and no brawn. When he realized that the planet was lost to him, he attempted to flee with his top-secret project. Since Lord Luud had also been defeated several years ago, also by one of Frieza's men, and a saiyan no less, before he gained enough energy, his precious Baby was all he had left for his hope for galactic domination.

He hadn't been fast enough. As he was flying away, Frieza's men shot his ship out of the sky. The invaders then went onboard the ship and killed the doctor, leaving Baby defenseless.

While on board, one of the men came across Baby's capsule. He had been shocked and fascinated by the robot-like fetus he found, but that wouldn't have stopped him from killing him once his astonishment had worn off.

Baby had to work quickly. Using whatever energy he had managed to gather, he forced his growth development along, growing into his infant stage and escaping the tank. He immediately possessed the warrior that had stood before. Access to his memories told him everything he needed to know.

His first order of business was to get his hands on Frieza. Had the warrior he possessed been one of the individuals that knew of King Cold, he would have gone for the head honcho himself. Instead, he went after the son, believing him to be the strongest in the universe, as everyone else seemed to believe.

The warrior's companions were unaware of their comrade's possession and didn't suspect anything. Using his body, Baby went on board their ship and contacted Frieza. He told the Icejinn that they had discovered something that required his immediate attention. Assuring the tyrant that it would be worth his while, he convinced Frieza to make the journey to the newly conquered M-2.

Once Frieza arrived, Baby immediately entered his body… making a very big mistake. As an infant, his possession ability hadn't fully developed. He managed to be in control of Frieza for a few seconds before the tyrant began fighting back furiously. Baby had overestimated his own strength. As the Icejinn's power spiked drastically, Baby felt his control over him slipping more and more. Soon he would be forced out of his body, and be left wide open for attack.

Giving up on his attempt to regain control, he played Frieza's desires against him. Having been in Frieza's head, he saw that what the brute craved above all else was eternal life. He wanted immortality, and Baby knew how he could get it.

When the Tuffles had created him, they gave him great knowledge, including the many of the secrets of the universe. Among them was the Namekian's and the seven magic Dragon Balls they possessed. Baby presented this idea to Frieza before the Icejinn could expel him from his body, assuring him that he could use these magic spheres to have any wish granted, including his desire to be immortal.

Frieza took the bait. He listened to Baby's proposal. He told him that he needed a host to live in, and in return for being that host, he would show Frieza how to use these mysterious Dragon Balls to become immortal.

Frieza debated the pros and cons of this deal. Although he hated the thought of having a parasite inside him, the possibility of obtaining immortality was far too tempting. Believing that he could remain in control of his body since he took control already, he decided to let Baby stay in case he needed him… for now.

Baby knew exactly what Frieza was planning, and not just because he read his mind. The Icejinn was planning on expelling him from his body and destroying him the second he achieved immortality. But what Frieza didn't know was that Baby matured very quickly, and once he matured fully, he would be able to take control easily. But he avoided any attempts to control Frieza again to avoid making the Icejin suspicious.

As for the men that took over Planet M-2, Frieza killed them, not wanting any witnesses to what had just happened. Then the hunt for the Dragon Balls was on; after a quick detour. There was one other condition that Baby requested from Frieza in return for information on the Dragon Balls. After having looked into Frieza's head, Baby saw that the Icejin hated the saiyans almost as much as he did, though it was more out of an unspoken fear for the Super Saiyan legend than anything else. Baby used this to his advantage, requesting for Frieza to destroy the entire saiyan planet to wipe them all out.

Frieza didn't even question Baby's reason for such a request. He had been entertaining the idea himself for a while. Simply having Baby ask him to do this was more than enough of a reason to actually destroy the planet. And that had been his first order of business, followed immediately by sending Cui to kill Prince Tarble and his new mate, since they were away from the planet for their honeymoon.

Then it was straight on towards Planet Namek. Baby simply sat back, so to speak, and let Frieza and his men go about things in their own way. There were a few problems along the way, but eventually all seven Dragon Balls had been gathered.

As Frieza prepared to summon the eternal dragon, Baby had been ready to make his move. He had become strong enough to take control of Frieza now, and he planned on doing just that once the dragon appeared. He never intended to let Frieza have his wish for immortality granted. He had his own wish he wanted to make.

If there was one thing that Baby had a fondness for, it was his home planet. Not the tainted place it had become after the saiyans took it over, but the pure world, back when it was called Planet Plant. He planned on having the dragon restore the planet back to the way it was before the saiyans ever invaded. Unlike Frieza, he had no need to wish for immortality. He was already the strongest being in the universe, so no one could defeat him, his regeneration abilities were so great that the possibility of dying from injuries was non existent, and his lifespan was eternal. What need did he have for immortality when he was already as close to immortal as one could get?

None of it mattered in the end though. It turned out that a password was needed to summon the dragon. This was something Baby had not known, neither had any of his ancestors since he was gifted with all their knowledge.

Things had gone downhill from there. When the Namekian elder died, the dragon died with it. But not before the saiyan prince of all people managed to resurrected the entire saiyan race and the planet, bringing Baby back to square one with his home world once again being tainted and infested with the saiyan race.

Frieza had been too furious about missing his chance at immortality to care that Baby was still inside him, even though he didn't need him anymore. All his thoughts centered on revenge. Deciding not to blow his cover for now, Baby had allowed Frieza and Vegeta to fight it out, content to witness the whole ordeal through Frieza's own eyes.

When Vegeta became a Super Saiyan, Baby had become somewhat concerned. His ancestors knew about the legend of the Super Saiyan, but they only had stories told by a barbaric race to go on, none had ever seen an actual transformation. So Baby studied Vegeta carefully in the new golden form, watching as he gained the upper hand on Frieza.

At this point, Baby had reached his adolescent state. He was certain he could have defeated Vegeta at base, but as a Super Saiyan, he wasn't so sure. So he decided to bid his time, letting Frieza test out the saiyan prince's newfound power.

When Frieza was cut down by his own attack, Baby realized that he may have to "abandon ship", but he was still hesitant about fighting a Super Saiyan. So instead, he had given Frieza enough energy to survive his injuries, and then some. But the stupid Icejin decided to use that energy to attack Vegeta, and it ended up blowing up in his face, literally, followed by the planet exploding.

Frieza had survived though, and Baby thought that he may still have use for the tyrant. So he stayed inside him, guiding the mutilated Icejin through space until he was found by King Cold.

He bidded his time after that, curious to see the final confrontation between the saiyans and the Cold Clan. When its leaders fell, the time to reveal himself finally came, although it wasn't exactly the reaction he had been expecting. How dare those miserable saiyan vermin belittle him and his people! Well, they got what they deserved. He was now in control of their entire race, and he'd had the pleasure of personally killing their king and crown prince. Now that had felt good.

But as he stared at the large crowd of his followers, he couldn't shake his disgust. He may be in control of them, and they may now be Tuffles at heart, but by blood they were still saiyans. The whole universe would be better off without them, whether under his control or not.

He suddenly had a change of mind. Originally, he had ordered that any children that were born in the future would be brought to him for possession. From now on, that rule would only apply to the other races he took control over. As for the saiyans, he would order them to reframe from reproducing. It would be better to simply have the saiyan race die out. He didn't need such disgusting creatures polluting his universe anyway. And he'd take great satisfaction in watching the monkeys slowly die out over time until their whole race was extinct. For now, he would just enjoy having them worship the ground he walked on. Even now they stood bowing at his feet, praising him.

"Hail, Baby! Hail, Baby! Hail, Baby!"

Those words brought a frown to his face. He  _really_  hated that name, and he never claimed it for his own. Dr. Myuu had taken some sick pleasure in calling him that, thinking he would soon be the father to the ultimate being. He needed a new name. A  _real_  name.

Turning to look at the progress his workers were doing, he approached the giant machine that was beginning to resemble a giant robot head. Running his hand along the metal surface, he wondered that, when the time came, if he should take the name his ancestors had given this beautiful machine back when it was nothing more than blueprints that had been imprinted in his brain.

"Soon nothing will stand in my way." he said to the machine. "Ultimate power shall be mine, Hatchiyack!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Bet you didn't see that coming. Baby is building Hatchiyack. I mentioned earlier that I would be adding things from "The Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans". By the way, how did you like how Baby was manipulating everything to his benefit? This isn't to say that Frieza wasn't in control of his actions, he was. Baby was just hitching a ride inside him and making suggestions along the way. See what happens to our heroes next time.)


	55. Searching For Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The last two chapters showed what happened with Gohan, Bardock, and Goku. This chapter will reveal what happened to the rest of our heroes.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 55: Searching For Answers**

They'd been searching for five days now, and still they found nothing. Some people would say that five days is a short amount of time, others would say it was a long time. For the three travelers, it was both. Time seemed to drag by as they continuously searched and came up with nothing, yet it also seemed to fly by knowing that every second that passed, more and more people were falling under Baby's control.

"Are you sure this isn't a lost cause?" Tarble asked. "I mean, you saw what happened."

"That's the thing." Bulma replied. "No one really  _saw_  it happen. We all just assumed the worst."

"But I felt it." Tarble told her. "And I can't sense him anymore."

Bulma glared at him. "It almost sounds like you  _want_  your brother to be dead."

Tarble looked horrified. "Of course not! I love my brother! I want him to be alive just as much as you do."

"So does Gure." His mate replied. "And if Miss Bulma says that he's alive, then he's alive."

Tarble sighed. He was still skeptical, but there was no changing the blue-haired woman's mind. During the fight with Baby, none of them had actually seen Vegeta die. He'd simply been carried away by Baby's energy blast, which then exploded somewhere in the atmosphere. No body had been discovered, though everyone suspected that it had simply been obliterated in the blast. Also, those that had learned to sense others' energy could no longer feel him, which could only mean that he was dead.

But Bulma wouldn't believe it. "Trust me. This is woman's intuition, and nothing is stronger than that, not even your senses."

"Then where is he?" Tarble asked. "Why didn't he come back? We both know my brother would never give up. So why hasn't he returned?"

Bulma shrugged. "Maybe he can't. He was injured pretty badly, and that was before getting caught up in that explosion. He could be so badly hurt that he can't travel, not even by flying. He could be paralyzed, or maybe even in a coma."

The last two thoughts really worried her. If Vegeta was unable to get around, that meant he'd gone for five days without food or water. The latter concerned her the most. She knew that a human could only last three days without water, four if they were lucky. She just prayed that, being a saiyan, Vegeta would be able to hold out longer. Or maybe his stubborn refusal to die would simply keep him going.

Even though she believed he was still alive, she was deeply concerned for the condition he was in. What if he really was paralyzed, or what if he was missing some limbs? Senzu beans and that healing liquid they used couldn't fix those things, nor could they regrow limbs. Hell, they couldn't even grow back his tail.

"Bulma…" Tarble said quietly, "I don't want to give up hope, but we need to face reality. The odds of Vegeta being alive are slim at best."

"Trust me." Bulma told him. "He  _is_  alive. I  _know_  he is."

"How do you know?"

Bulma hesitated for a few seconds. "I don't know. I just feel him beating in my heart."

Tarble studied her for a few moments. "It sounds to me like the two of you have Bonded."

Bulma shrugged. "Well, we're definitely a lot closer than when we first met."

Tarble shook his head. "No, I mean that the two of you have mated."

Bulma blushed. There was no use denying it. Though they never actually told anyone, everyone knew that she and Vegeta were lovers. "Yeah, well, so what? Sex is a perfectly natural thing."

No!" Tarble cried in aggravation, trying to get her to understand. "I mean that the two of you have  _become_  mates. Like Gure and I have."

Bulma finally seemed to begin to catch on to the young prince's meaning. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean. Are you saying that Vegeta and I are… are…  _married?_ "

"More or less."

"What do you mean, more or less?" she demanded. "We're either married, or we're not! There is no in between, unless you count engagement. We haven't even had a wedding. How can we be married?"

"A wedding is just a celebration." Gure explained. "It's just a formality that's done with those who are mates or who plan to become mates. It's just a public display, not a necessity. Becoming mates is a biological transaction."

This was new information for Bulma. But thinking back, she had noticed a slight changing in Vegeta's DNA when she studied his blood that hadn't appeared in other saiyans she studied. She just thought it was related to him being a Super Saiyan, not because he was Bonding with her.

"How did this happen?" she asked. "Shouldn't he have  _asked_  me before just letting this happen?"

Tarble shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. It happens through… well, intimacy. Constant, uh, coupling with the same partner for a long enough time causes the Bond to occur. The body begins to recognize that this is their partner, their mate, and so the Bond forms."

This was beginning to remind Bulma of a conversation she had with Goku back when she was still adjusting to being a slave. He talked to her about taking on mates, and Bulma was able to conclude that saiyans were monogamous, but she never expected it to play out like this. And with the way she and Vegeta were,  _no wonder_  a Bond had formed.

' _So now I'm basically Vegeta's wife.'_  She thought, although she didn't find the thought unappealing.  _'I'll bet his father would just_ love _that.'_  She sighed, trying to take all this in. "Why didn't he tell me we're mates?"

Tarble shrugged. "He probably doesn't know. It's not noticeable right away. The Bond forms, but it can take a little time before symptoms occur."

"Symptoms? You make it sound like a disease. And what do you mean by symptoms?"

Tarble pointed at her. "Well, you somehow  _knowing_  that Vegeta is alive, even though all evidence proves otherwise is one thing. Mates can feel each other. They have a special connection."

She glanced at him. "Hold up, you mean this affects me too?"

Tarble blinked. "Of course. Why wouldn't?"

"Because I'm not a saiyan. You said the biologic changes happen to saiyans."

"To whoever becomes their mates too. When a saiyan's body begins recognizing someone as their mate, they start to unleash hormones into their mate's body during…" he cleared throat, "during sex that will start to affect their mate's body, even if they're not a saiyan."

"You're kidding!" She didn't know if she liked the idea of her body going through unknown changes without her knowledge or permission. She turned to Gure. "And this happened to you as well?"

Gure nodded. "Of course, Miss Bulma. But don't worry, the connection is a good thing. Gure is so glad to be Bonded to Tarble."

"Great." Bulma muttered. "So what other symptoms are there besides sensing each other?"

"You'll also feel a 'pull' towards him. Like you'll want to be with him a lot, or you'll feel distressed if you're separated for so long. You also won't feel a desire to couple with anyone else. Eventually, you'll be able to communicate through it to an extent."

She hoped that didn't mean what she thought it meant. The thought of anyone, even Vegeta, being inside her head was unsettling. "You mean we'll be able to read each others' minds or talk telepathically."

It was Gure that answered. "Nothing like that. But you'll be able to sense if something is bothering the other, or you'll know if they want something and what it is. Things like that."

"Great." She repeated. She would need to learn how to prevent Vegeta from feeling her desires for him; otherwise they'd never leave the bedroom. "And this is a permanent thing? It can't be undone, or changed, or transferred, or anything like that?"

"Once you become a saiyan's mate, the Bond won't allow another one to form, so no, it can't be changed or transferred. And it's a physical change in the body's system, there's no undoing that. Once you grow up, can you become a child again?"

He had a point, but who knew what science was capable of. Perhaps she could find a way to remove the Bond.

She immediately shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She didn't even know why she was thinking about this now. She hadn't even had time to consider if she wanted to be Bonded or not. Besides, there were more important things to worry about right now.

Six hours later, with Bulma still driving while Tarble and Gure flew overhead, fortune finally smiled upon them when the small alien suddenly cried out, "I think I see him!"

Instantly heading in the direction Gure pointed out, they discovered that it was indeed Vegeta. Or what was left of him anyway. He was in bad shape. All that remained of the once proud Super Saiyan prince was a broken man that laid unmoving on the ground. He looked very much dead, but the slow rise and fall of his chest proved otherwise.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried, running to his side.

She immediately felt for his pulse. It was weak, very weak. It was a miracle that he was even alive. His injuries needed tending to right away, and days without food and water had taken affect.

"He needs water!" Bulma cried, noticing his dry cracked lips.

Pulling a water bottle from her bag, she set it down. Next she reached into her pocket and pulled out a Senzu bean. Looking at it, she said a small prayer. This was the last of the precious beans she had. Any others had yet to grow. Not that they could have gotten to them anyway with Baby and his followers around.

Crushing and grinding up the bean, she poured the contents into the water bottle and brought it to Vegeta's dry lips. She somehow managed to get a few mouthfuls down him, with no help from the saiyan prince, who remained unconscious.

"Why won't he wake up?" Gure asked worriedly.

Bulma felt tears prickle her eyes as one of her worst fears was confirmed. "He's in a coma."

Tarble looked at her hopefully. "But he'll wake up now, right? The Senzu bean will bring him out of it, right?"

Bulma wiped her eyes. "I don't know. It'll heal his injuries, sure, but I don't know if he'll wake up. It's never been used like that before."

Vegeta began coughing and sputtering as the bean took affect. His body shook as if he were having a seizure and he thrashed around violently. Bulma and the others did their best to hold him down as his wounds slowly healed. But when his injuries were gone and he finally settled down, he remained asleep.

"I was afraid of this." Bulma said tearfully. "The bean didn't wake him up."

"No!" Tarble cried. "Maybe it just takes some time!" He grabbed his brother and shook him. "Come on, Vegeta! You have to wake up! You're the proud saiyan prince, the legendary Super Saiyan! You can beat this! Don't let Baby win! We need you! Our people need you! You've just got to wake up!"

A fist came out of nowhere and slammed into Tarble's jaw, sending him flying. "You're… too… loud…"

"Vegeta!" the two women cried.

Slowly, Vegeta's eyes opened. His throat felt as dry as a desert and burned like it was on fire. "Water…" Bulma quickly handed him the water bottle. He snatched it out of her hands and guzzled down the whole thing. "More!"

He was given another and he drank down over half of it before finally stopping to catch his breath.

"Big brother!" Tarble cried, rushing over to embrace him. "We were so worried about you!"

Vegeta elbowed him in the gut to get him off. "Don't touch me! I'm just fine!" He looked around with a confused look on his face. "Where are we? What happened?"

Bulma and Gure shared a look. "You don't remember?" the former asked.

"Remember what?"

"The fight with Baby."

"Baby?" The name brought everything back. "Baby!" He jumped angrily to his feet. "Where is that miserable Tuffle? I'll show him not to make light of a saiyan!" He received no answer to his question, only sorrowful looks. "Well, start talking!"

Bulma opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find the right words, so she closed it again. So Tarble spoke for her. "Vegeta, you're fight with Baby, that was five days ago."

Vegeta looked at his brother in disbelief. "What?"

Bulma nodded. "It's true. It's been five days since the two of you fought. Everyone thinks you're dead."

"But not Miss Bulma." Gure told him. "She knew you were alive."

Bulma blushed, but Vegeta didn't seem to notice as he processed this information. "Five days. How could it have been five days?"

"You were in a coma." Bulma replied. "We only just found you."

Vegeta looked like he wanted to kill something. "Tarble, our father…?" A frown appeared on the younger brother's face and he shook his head. Vegeta's eyes widened and he looked away. "So then… it wasn't a dream… He really is…"

"Vegeta…" Bulma whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He ignored her. "DAMN IT!" he punched the ground, the impact creating a large fissure as far as the eye could see. "What else has happened? What's that Tuffle freak been up to while I've been out."

Bulma sighed. "It's bad, Vegeta. Really bad."

"Baby has completely taken over." Tarble told him.

"He's infected almost everyone and turned them into his willing slaves." Gure added.

"Those he hasn't gotten to are on the run."

"He's hunting them down like animals."

"Friends, family, everyone is turning on each other. The only distinction are those loyal to Baby, and those that aren't. I've seen parents attacking their children, mates fighting each other, friends holding down other friends so Baby can slip inside them. It's horrible!"

Vegeta's teeth clenched together as he tried to hold onto his anger. "I can't believe this. And it's all because I lost to some freak that should have died when the rest of his people became extinct. How could I lose to a Tuffle?"

Bulma placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself. None of us were prepared for this."

Vegeta ignored her. "I have to fight him again. But how can I win when he finds fighting a Super Saiyan to be child's play?" Overcome with anger, he transformed. It lasted a split second before he reverted back to base. Confused, he looked at his hands, wondering what just happened. "What the…?"

Bulma groaned. "I was afraid of that. You can't even become a Super Saiyan right now."

He glanced at her, looking horrified. "What do you mean?"

"It's the Destron Gas." She told him. "Baby created these machine that generate some type of gas that's slowly killing the planet and everyone on it. The gas also prevents anyone from using energy blasts, and, it seems, you becoming a Super Saiyan."

"Except for those that Baby infects." Tarble added. "The eggs he lays in their brains provide an immunity to the gas."

Bulma nodded. "He's using the gas to basically smoke everyone out of hiding, or to kill them if they stay hidden. By my calculations, all life on the planet will die in 70 days if he doesn't infect it."

Vegeta growled. So that's what that strange smell in the air was. It was barely noticeable, only able to be detected if one were actually searching for it. "It seems that Tuffle freak has been busy."

"You don't know the half of it." Bulma replied. "What he's working on now is even worse than the Destron Gas generators."

That didn't sound good. "What's he working on?"

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her laptop. "I'm not entirely sure, but it's some type of super machine he calls Hatchiyack."

"Hatchy-what?"

"Hatchiyack." Bulma repeated. "Truthfully, I have no idea what purpose it serves. I was able to wirelessly hack into its computer system and get a generally idea though. I don't know how else to describe it, but it seems to be a machine that's designed to absorb grudges."

Vegeta blinked. "Absorb what?"

"Grudges."

"How in the hell can a machine absorb a grudge?"

Bulam looked through the files on her laptop. "It focuses on the type of energy given of by negative emotions, such as anger and hate. The greater the emotion, the more energy it gives off. And it seems to be focusing on the negative emotions felt towards the saiyans. It's absorbing the energy from everywhere in the universe. And, no offense, but the saiyans have made a lot of enemies, mostly from those whose planet they've conquered."

For some reason, this irritated Vegeta. The saiyans may have taken over many planets, but it was all on Frieza's orders, and the planets were conquered in his name. The hatred these people felt should have been towards the Planet Trade Organization.

"So what's this Haczhihyahku-thing supposed to do?" he asked.

Bulma continued going through her computer. "I don't know, but its storing all that energy up for something. Whatever it is, it's certainly not going to be good."

Vegeta growled again. "And we can't even do anything to stop it."

A smirk crept up Bulma's face. "Now, I didn't say that. Don't forget, I am a genius! I've been working on something that will be able to neutralize the Destron Gas. You guys will be using energy attacks again in no time." She frowned. "The trick is to get close enough to the generators. They're guarded day and night, by Broly no less. But don't worry, I have a plan for that too."

"And my people?" Vegeta grumbled. "I don't suppose you have a plan to free them of that parasite's control."

She cut her eyes at him. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Vegeta's eyes widened. Clearly he hadn't expected a solution for this from her. Was she planning on performing brain surgery on everyone that was infected?"

"And then what?" he demanded irritably. "We'll just be back to where we were before when Baby first revealed himself."

Bulma chuckled "You really underestimate me."

The saiyan prince snorted. "Oh, you have a plan for this too? This I've got to hear." He took another drink of water.

Bulma smirked, anticipating his reaction. "What if I told you I was working on a way to make you 500 times stronger than you are right now?"

The reaction was exactly as she expected. Vegeta spat out a mouthful of water, coughing uncontrollably, and turned to her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

She winked at him. "I wouldn't kid you about something like this." She began going through her files again. "The theory first came to me when I was doing research on you. It's well known that a saiyan's true power comes from their tail." She glanced at him. "And you're already really strong, even without your tail."

"What's your point?" he demanded impatiently.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I was examining the saiyan's ability to transform. Under the right circumstances, a saiyan can turn into either a Super Saiyan or a Great Ape. But with the latter transformation, a saiyan loses control of his senses." She looked at him again. "However, you're still in complete control of yourself, even when you become a Great Ape. So you should be able to activate the Super Saiyan transformation while in that state. And since a Great Ape transformation makes a saiyan 10 times stronger and a Super Saiyan transformation makes a saiyan 50 times stronger, combining the two should make one 500 times stronger, maybe more." She looked through some notes. "At last reading, your power level was 830,000 at base. If we pull this off, you'll gain a power level of 415,000,000."

It sounded good in theory, but there were still several flaws. "And how would I pull this transformation off without a tail or the moon?"

"Still underestimating me." She muttered. "You and I both know that a saiyan's tail can grow back under the right circumstances. As for the Great Ape transformation, it's not even the moon that's needed, merely the Blutz Waves, which the moon provides. I can make a way to replicate that, only take it much farther. With enough Blutz Waves, we'll be able to force the transformation on you, even without a tail." She gave him a smile. "Does that sound good?"

"Yes!" Vegeta cried, crushing the bottle of water in his hand. "Get ready, Baby; it looks like the race isn't over yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Vegeta is alive, and Bulma has a plan. Also, if you picked it up, Bulma's reaction to Vegeta is similar to how Videl's was with Gohan when everyone thought Majin Buu killed him. Also, it looks like the two have become mates, meaning they're basically married. Cheers!)


	56. Counter Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Things with the hurricane have made it tough here. It'll probably take me longer to update until things get back to normal around here. I managed to pull this together, so I hope you enjoy it until I can get back on track)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 56: Counter Attack**

Most plans sound a lot better when they're on paper. Such was the case with this one. Stop the Destron Gas generators, destroy Hatchiyack, kill Baby. Sounded simple enough. But once again, that was on paper.

Hatchiyack and the Destron Gas generators were surrounded by an entire army of infected saiyans, including Broly. Baby was there too, overseeing the workings of Hatchiyack in its final stages.

At a safe distance, Bulma, Vegeta, Tarble, and Gure watched, waiting for their chance to strike.

"Ok," Bulma said, "is everyone ready? We'll only have seconds to act."

Tarble glanced at her nervously. "Are you sure this will work?"

"In theory." Bulma replied. "But it's all we've got."

Vegeta's patience had long since passed its limit. "I'm getting tired of this sneaking around. Will you just get started already?"

She glared at him. "Whatever you say, your majesty."

Activating the control device that kept Broly's true power at bay, she dropped all restrictions. In an instant, Broly's control snapped and he went into berserk mode. Even though he was under Baby's control, his unrestrained power affected his reasoning, bringing forth the madness his intense power unleashed.

Baby and the saiyans all turned to him as he roared loudly. His power exploded outward, knocking them all off their feet.

"Broly!" the Tuffle shouted. "What is this? Control yourself!"

The mutant saiyan's power level began dropping again as Bulma placed the restrictions back on him. But his outburst provided the distraction they needed, and cleared the path. While the disorientated saiyans recovered from the shockwave, Tarble and Gure flew towards the Destron Gas generators.

"Here we go!" Tarble cried, tossing several capsules at the first generator.

"Take that!" Gure shouted, throwing her own at the second one.

The capsules flew into the openings in the generators where the Destron Gas was being pumped out. The generators rumbled as Bulma's neutralizing agent was unleashed inside them. The generators powered down, and the cloud of toxic gas escaping them began to dissipate as it mixed with Bulma's compound.

"What's this?" Baby snarled, looking up at the two. His directions shifted to the no longer functioning generators, then back at the other two. "Well, you two certainly have a lot of nerve showing up here like that. And I see that you've managed to neutralize my Destron Gas."

Already things seemed to be getting brighter as Bulma's neutralization chemical counteracted the Destron Gas.

"Looks like we did it." Tarble said.

"Oh, you did it alright." Baby grumbled. But then he smiled, cracking his knuckles. "However, I can always make new generators, but it seems as if the search for the last of the royal family has come to an end."

"Wrong again, Tuffle freak!"

A surprised look crossed Baby's face as he heard the voice of someone he thought was dead. He didn't have time to dwell on it though as a beam of energy went speeding past him. He heard it strike behind him, followed immediately by an explosion. Almost afraid to turn around, Baby did so with great reluctance. What he saw infuriated him. Hatchiyack had a large hole in it. Sparks flew across it as a large cloud of smoke rose from the hole, from which a fire burned.

"NO!" Baby bellowed. "Hatchiyack! What have you done?" Anger twisted his features as he turned to the one that had destroyed his beloved machine. "Or should I ask, how are you alive?"

Vegeta smirked as he landed a short distance away. "As if a mere Tuffle could possibly destroy the prince of all saiyans."

Baby snorted. "Prince of pests you mean. You're certainly as hard to get rid of as any vermin." A smirk crept up his face. "Then again, you're not really the prince of anything anymore. Take a look around you, Vegeta. Just look at your loyal subjects."

Humoring the parasite, Vegeta glanced at his people. All the infected saiyans had surrounded him, and each had a look of the utmost hatred on their face.

Vegeta just smirked. "They're just sick is all. They were infected by a disgusted parasite and have gone a little funny in the head."

"How dare you speak that way about Lord Baby!" a saiyan cried angrily.

This was followed up by more cries of outrage and demands for Vegeta's blood. And it looked like the saiyans would be all too happy to tear apart their former prince.

"Calm yourselves, my people." Baby told them. "This insect isn't even worth your anger. It seems I made a mistake and went too easy on him last time. I won't make that mistake again. So all of you just sit back and watch as I annihilate this monkey."

Vegeta snickered. "I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. This time, I have an advantage that I didn't have before."

"Oh?" Baby smirked, crossing his arms arrogantly. "And what's that?"

"The same thing you have. You obtained your power through science, and now I'm about to do the same."

A few seconds ticked by where nothing happened. Baby tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently. "Well? Are you going to do something, or not?"

Looking aggravated, Vegeta glanced over his shoulder. "Where is that infernal woman?"

As if on cue, Bulma came driving up in what appeared to be a modified hover-car with two large satellites attached to it.

"Where've you been?" the saiyan prince demanded. "You certainly picked the wrong time to lollygag!"

Bulma glared at him. "You ungrateful jerk!" she shot back. "It would have taken anyone else years to develop this thing when I did it in a day!"

Vegeta chose to ignore this. "Just turned the blasted thing on!"

Bulma rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smirk at his predictability. "Prince of the saiyans or not, he doesn't scare me."

Baby watched with interest as the satellites zeroes in on Vegeta. Beams of bright green light shot out of the satellites, striking Vegeta. The saiyan prince cried out as massive amounts of Blutz Waves were pumped into his system. Baby had no idea what they were attempting, but if it was causing Vegeta pain, then he liked it.

The overwhelming power filled Vegeta with a greater intensity than the full moon ever did. Even without a tail, the Blutz Waves were so powerful that he felt his Great Ape transformation coming forth. His thoughts became fuzzy as his wild side began to take over the same way it did when other saiyans transformed. The instinct of the Great Ape along with the immense power was causing him to lose control.

An inhuman roar escaped Vegeta as his transformation began. Bulma watched in fascination as Vegeta repeated the process of becoming a giant monster like he did back on Namek. Only this one was different. When his transformation was complete, his fur was gold rather than brown, and his skin was much darker. But what disturbed her was his posture. He wasn't holding himself like he did as a man. Technically, he wasn't a man anymore, but even when he had transformed into a Great Ape last time, he had still stood tall and proud like the warrior he was. Now he was slouched over like a common gorilla, his movements showing no sign of humanity.

"Oh my god…" Bulma whispered.

It was then that she realized that he had no control over this Golden Great Ape form. He'd completed the transformation, but his mind had shut down, and the ape's destructive instinct had taken over. With an almighty roar, the beast pounded his fists against his chest.

"He's not in control!" Tarble shouted out the obvious.

Vegeta's attention shifted to his brother and he made a swing at him. Tarble and Gure flew out of reach, but Vegeta opened his mouth and breathed a stream of fire at them. When he realized he missed, he became even more enraged.

Screams from the gathering of saiyans distracted him, and he turned his attention to them. With a mighty roar, he jumped into the crowd, and they scattered as his giant feet cracked the ground apart.

Rampaging like a rabid animal, Vegeta lashed out at anything in his path, toppling buildings in his wake. At random moments, he would open his mouth and unleashed blasts of energy or breathe fire. He didn't even seem capable of rational thought any longer as he went down a path of destruction.

Ignoring the cries of his people to save them, Baby watched in amusement as Vegeta rampaged. "This was your brilliant strategy? What a laugh! Your trump card has left you as nothing more than a wild animal. Now we can all see you as the beast you truly are."

Over the giant ape's head, Tarble and Gure shouted down at him, trying to bring Vegeta back to his senses. But he didn't even seem to hear them. He was too far gone, relishing in the destruction he was causing.

Bulma activated the Blutz Wave generator again, giving Vegeta another blast to get his attention. Now  _that_  he took notice of, turning his angry gave on her.

"Vegeta!" she shouted. "Wake up! Don't you see that you're destroying the very things you're trying to protect?"

In response, the monstrous ape opened its mouth and fired a blast of energy at her. Bulma cried out as the blast sped towards her, but was suddenly pulled out of the vehicle at the last moment. Gure flew with her up into the sky as Vegeta's attack destroyed the generator.

"No!" Bulma cried. "That was our last hope."

Vegeta roared again and began pounding his chest. In a show of bravery, Tarble flew at his brother and kicked the side of his head. The only reaction to the attack Vegeta showed was to turn towards him.

"Vegeta, please, listen to me!" he begged. "You've got to stop before it's too late!"

The golden ape's hand shot out, grabbing Tarble out of the air and squeezing him in a tight grip. The younger saiyan realize that he was completely at his brother's mercy and could be crushed at any moment.

Baby laughed as he enjoyed the show. "Yes, that's it! Pop him like a pimple! To think that the saiyan prince is doing my work for me, and I didn't even need to infect him!"

Struggling to breathe, Tarble looked at the giant monster desperately. "Please, big brother, you have to come back. Remember who you are, remember your pride. You're our last hope; otherwise, Baby will win, and our race will be doomed, along with the entire universe."

He felt Vegeta's grip slightly loosen. The big ape stared at him closely, and some recognition appeared in his glowing blood red eyes.

"Tar…ble…" he grumbled.

He released his brother, and Tarble sucked down the cool air. Clutching his aching ribs, he looked up at Vegeta. The large ape began to glow with a golden aura, his body relaxing as he struggled to regain control.

Vegeta's laughter echoed all around them. "I am the prince of all saiyans. I could never allow my baser instincts to get the best of me."

His whole body began glowing brighter, blinding them with its intensity. Then he started to shrink, his features shifting back from an ape to a man. When he reached a few inches taller of his original size, the glowing faded, and Vegeta stood in a his new form.

"At long last, I've ascended." He stated.

His new Super Saiyan form was very different from his original one. His hair had grown longer and flowed down his back rather than sticking straight up, and it remained black rather than turning gold. His facial features were slightly altered, showing just a hint of the ape he had been moments ago. His eyes were dark green, and the pupils were more noticeable, and surrounding each eyes was a layer of red, almost making it look like he was wearing mascara.

His body was different as well, and not just in height and muscle mass. His shirt was gone, having disintegrated from his energy, but it still looked as if he was wearing one. What actually covered him from his neck down to his legs, leaving only his hands, feet, and chest hairless, was blood red fur. His tail was also back, but it was twice as long as it originally was, thicker too, and it was just as red as the rest of his fur.

None of them actually knew it, but Vegeta had just unlocked Super Saiyan Level Four.

From a distance away, Bulma practically drooled as she stared at Vegeta's new form. "Oh, wow, he's  _really_  cute." She felt like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush.  _'I'll definitely have to get him to take on that form the next time we're in bed together.'_

Baby had a very different reaction from Bulma. A scowl was plastered across his face as he looked at the newly transformed Vegeta. "So what? You've gone from a bald monkey, to a gold monkey, to a red monkey. It's not going to save you!"

He flew at Vegeta, ready to attack. When he was right in front of him, he was suddenly knocked back by an unseen force. It hadn't been energy, the force had been physical.

"What… what the hell was that?" he snarled.

Vegeta just chuckled. "Three small punches and he's already out of it."

Baby's eye twitched. "What? Three?"

The saiyan prince laughed again. "Oh, were those too fast for you? I'll try to slow them down a bit."

Anger flashed in Baby's eyes. "Damn you!"

He charged, preparing to throw a punch. Vegeta easily blocked it, and then buried his own fist in Baby's gut. The Tuffle cried out, a shower of spit flying past his lips. He didn't get a reprieve as Vegeta delivered a blow to the head and then kicked him back. Baby went flying backwards, right into the crowd of infected saiyans. They supported their leader, helping him to his feet.

"Lord Baby, are you all right?" one asked.

"Damn that lousy saiyan." Said another. "We'll make him pay!"

Baby pulled away from them. "I'm fine! Don't touch me! I can take care of him myself! This saiyan is mine!"

He stalked away from his followers, looking at Vegeta with renewed interest. You really surprised me there, Vegeta. I must admit that your new power caught me off guard." He chuckled evilly. "But now it's time to get serious. It's time for you to witness what true power really is."

Vegeta smirked. "In that case, go ahead, make my day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The final final showdown has begun. It's going to be a long one too, like it was with Frieza, only things won't be so one-sided this time. Vegeta has reached Super Saiyan Four, but they don't know that, so they won't be referring to it as such, just wanted you to know so you don't get confused. Also, the Destron Gas has been stomped and Hatchiyack has been destroyed, but the danger is far from over. I'll update when I can, but remember what I said about the hurricane delaying me. And good luck to anyone else that it's hit.)


	57. Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Stupid internet! I'm only able to stay on for about 10 minutes at a time. It's so frustrating. Sigh. But I got off easy compared to others. I hope to get back on track with this story again soon. He's the next installment.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 57: Revenge**

The ground trembled as Baby's power shook the entire planet. Like an enraged child throwing a tantrum, he shouted loudly as his power reached its highest peak. Vegeta continued to look unimpressed, maintaining his confident smirk on his face as Baby's power reached levels that were once believed to be unreachable to anyone among the living, save for the Kais.

With a mighty wail, Baby soared at Vegeta. The saiyan prince easily dodged the punch the Tuffle threw, followed by the kick and another punch. Upon trying to knee the saiyan, Vegeta grabbed the Tuffle's leg, quickly catching the punch that followed.

"I certainly hope you weren't serious just then." He mocked.

Snarling, Baby threw another punch, but Vegeta vanished. It took Baby a moment to realize that the saiyan was behind him. As he whirled around to face his opponent, pain exploded in his cheek from Vegeta's backhand, sending the Machine Mutant flying. He crashed into a solid wall, and once he regained his senses, he realized that the 'wall' he had crashed into was Vegeta.

"Something wrong?" the saiyan asked. "You look surprised."

Baby snarled at him, whirling around and unleashing a powerful energy blast. Vegeta took it head on, but that didn't seem to register to the Tuffle. He snickered, thinking he had managed to do some severe damage to the saiyan, at least until the smoke cleared.

Vegeta dusted himself off. "That felt pretty good." He turned around. "Would you mind doing my back next? That transformation left a small kink in it."

"Here's a kink!" Baby roared, throwing a punch.

Quick as lightning, Vegeta spun back around and grabbed Baby's arm. Before the Tuffle could react, he brought his elbow crashing down on the captured limb. Baby cried out as he felt his arm break, pulling it free from the saiyan's grasp. The injury immediately healed itself, but it still hurt like hell.

That's when Vegeta went on the attack, if one could call it such a thing. Moving too quickly for the Tuffle to see, his hand shot out, his thumb and index finger making a flicking motion that smacked against Baby's forehead. The Tuffle stumbled back as Vegeta repeated the hand motion several more times, causing Baby to lose ground with every hit. After the fifth blow, Baby's forehead had a nice dent in it from mere flicks of Vegeta's fingers, and the Tuffle was breathing heavily.

"Bastard!" Baby roared, moving to attack.

This time Vegeta landed a true blow, punching Baby directly in the chest. The Tuffle went flying backwards, slamming into a building and remaining stuck against it.

As Vegeta calmly walked towards the Tuffle, a group of infected saiyans moved in his path. They immediately attacked, firing energy blasts that ordinarily would vaporize anyone caught in their path. But when the smoke cleared, Vegeta merely had a small scowl on his face, looking irritated at having been interrupted.

Looking nervous, the infected saiyans turned towards their master. "Lord Baby, are you all right?" one asked.

Baby glared at them. "I thought I told you all not to interfere!" he snarled.

The infected saiyans looked hurt. "But… my lord…"

"I don't need help fighting a monkey!" Baby declared. His energy flashed outward, forcing the saiyans away from him. "Anyone that dares to interfere again will die!"

Vegeta felt disgusted as he watched the infected saiyans cower away from Baby's wrath. It was a sickening sight. Where was their saiyan pride? Not even under his father's rule, even Frieza's, did the saiyans behave this way. He vowed to make Baby pay.

"You know, Baby" he said tauntingly, "your creator really did name you appropriately. You certainly whine like an infant."

Anger flashed in Baby's visor-like eyes. He really despised that name. "Don't call me that!"

He fired a blast of energy. Vegeta easily knocked it aside. That didn't discourage Baby as he began firing a series of energy blasts. But Vegeta simply swatted them away as he calmly walked towards the Tuffle.

"I… swear… Vegeta…" the Tuffle declared, firing an energy blast with every word, "I'm… going… to… kill… you… if… it's… the… last… thing… I… ever… do…"

As the saiyan prince continued knocking away his attacks, Baby finally opened his mouth and fired a beam of green energy. Vegeta didn't think anything of it as he moved to swat it aside like all the others. Instead he got a surprise as the green light wrapped around his hand upon making contact with it.

"What the…?" As the green light faded, Vegeta found nearly his entire arm encased in metal. "What's this?"

Now Baby was laughing. "Ha, you got careless! And now you'll pay for it!"

He opened his mouth and more green light poured out. Having learned his lesson, Vegeta dodged the light, watching as the ground where the green light struck was covered in metal. That was quite an interesting attack, and he had to admit that he was impressed. Baby had managed to fully remove the use of his hand. He wasn't worried though. He was sure a certain blue-haired woman would be able to fix the problem soon enough.

Right now he was continuing to dodge Baby's metal encasing attack. More and more of the land around them was being covered in metal, and it wasn't very appealing to Vegeta. He finally moved towards the Tuffle just as he was about to unleash another ray of green light. His foot found Baby's chin, knocking his mouth closed before he could fire another beam of light.

Baby's cheeks became bloated as his mouth was filled with metal. Grunting in pain, he stumbled away from Vegeta, trying to open his mouth. Using his ability to reshape his flesh, he was able to open his mouth wide enough to spit out a wad of metal larger than a football.

"How'd that taste?" Vegeta asked.

Baby glared at him furiously. With an angry roar, he began firing more rays of green light. But he didn't even aim at the saiyan. Instead he focused on cover the land around them in metal. Vegeta watched with a raised eyebrow, wondering what the Tuffle was attempting to gain by doing this.

Once a good portion of land was covered in a shiny coating of metal, Baby turned back to Vegeta and grinned. His body liquefied and he melted into the metal ground, vanishing completely.

Now Vegeta realized what Baby was playing at. He could be hiding anywhere in the metal. Vegeta couldn't sense him either, since Baby's presence seemed to be in  _all_  of the metal that surrounded him.

A pressure at his feet grabbed his attention. Looking down, Vegeta saw a pair of metal hands holding his ankles. Baby's smirking face was in between them. Vegeta immediately took to the air, but the metal arms extended and went after him. He dodged as the hands made fists, attempting to punch him out of the sky. But the surprise came when several more metal arms shot up and seized him.

With an evil laughter, Baby appeared before Vegeta as a pillar of metal extending from the metallic covering below. His face appeared and his mouth opened, expelling more green light. Vegeta was engulfed by it. The light consumed him and took a rectangle shape. When it finally died down, a metal slab with a perfect carving of Vegeta on it was left where the saiyan prince had been.

Down on the ground, and well out of range of the metal covering, Bulma felt her stomach drop. Her mind jumped to the classic film  _Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back_  as she looked up at Vegeta in a very similar state Han Solo had been in.

Baby was having a very different reaction as he admired his handiwork. "Ha, how do you like that, monkey? You've been reduced to mere decoration." He mockingly knocked on the metal slab. "I think perhaps I'll hang this over my bed. How would you like that, Vegeta? That way you'll be able to watch as I take your woman again and again."

As he enjoyed his victory, he failed to sense the gathering of energy within the metal slab. Vegeta's power level was rising, the intensity causing cracks to appear along the metal slab. Baby eventually took notice as the cracks traveled along the metal carving of the saiyan prince.

"No, that's not possible. His body should have shut down. He should be in hibernation."

The metal slab exploded open, and Vegeta hovered in the air with a powerful aura swirling around him. He smirked at the stunned look on Baby's face. "Surely you didn't think that you could keep me imprisoned in there."

His fist shot out, striking Baby in the face. The mound of metal his face was attached to sank back beneath the metal surface, concealing the Tuffle once again. Vegeta's eyes scanned the shiny surface, looking for any signs of movement.

"Come out and face me, Tuffle!" he demanded. "Or are you such a cowered that you have to hide under there?"

An angry scream came up from the ground as Baby flew towards Vegeta. The lower half of his body remained metallic and attached to the metal ground. Vegeta raised his hand and fired a blast of energy. Baby was blown apart, the tentacle of metal that attached to the large surface falling from the sky.

Another cry was heard as the process was repeated, this time from a different direction. Vegeta turned to this Baby and blasted it as well, but it was quickly replaced by another one coming from a different direction.

After blasting apart ten of these clones, Vegeta started getting annoyed. "Just what are you playing at?"

Baby's laughter echoed all around him, seeming to come from all the metal at once. "Haven't you figured it out yet, saiyan? I'm inside the metal. I  _am_  the metal." Several mounds of metal stretched up into the sky, Baby's face appearing on each of them. "As long as I'm in here, no matter how many times you blast me, I'll always reform."

Vegeta pondered on this for a moment. Then a smirk came across his face. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose I'll just have to get rid of it, won't I?"

With a loud battle cry, he unleashed an explosion of energy. His attack covered the vast area covered in metal, disintegrating it all, and the land it covered. When his attack died down, a large crater remained where the metal covering had been. All that remained was a puddle of liquid metal that shifted back into Baby.

Vegeta looked down at the Tuffle with a grin on his face. "Hello, Baby, good to see you again."

Furious, the Tuffle threw the saiyan prince the dirtiest look he could muster. "Don't call me by that name!"

He spat more green light at the saiyan prince, this time intending to blast him apart once he encased him in metal again. But Vegeta wouldn't allow himself to make the same mistake twice. He let his energy flare outward, acting as a shield against Baby's attack. Baby's attack slammed against his energy shield and solidified into a shapeless metal figure that fell from the sky.

"That won't work on me twice." Vegeta told him. "In fact, nothing you try on me will work. I'm way out of your league, Tuffle. My power far outstrips your own."

Baby growled in frustration. "Well, if that's the case," he grinned evilly, "then I'll just make your power my own."

He liquefied again and shot at the saiyan prince. He slammed into Vegeta's face, forcing his way into his mouth and down his throat. He was in, now it was just a matter of seizing control.

But he suddenly felt his progress halted. He found himself unable to move, and could no longer spread any further through the saiyan's body.

"What's happening?"

Vegeta had been expecting this, wondering when the Tuffle would attempt to possess him, and he refused to allow it to happen. "Did you really think… that I'd let you… gain control over me?" His body trembled with the effort to hold Baby in place. "I'm not about… to let some Tuffle parasite… turn me into his puppet."

Baby seethed as he tried to spread further. He knew what Vegeta was doing. The saiyan was using his own energy told hold Baby back and prevent him from spreading. He managed to get inside him, but the energy he now found himself surrounded by kept him locked in place. If he could just reach Vegeta's brain, he could take all control away from the saiyan.

But Vegeta's energy was too great, and it kept him trapped where he was. No, worse, it was attempting to force him out. It was similar to what happened with Frieza. Baby hadn't fully developed back then, and Frieza had been able to resume control. But this time Vegeta was preventing him from even taking control. No matter how hard Baby pushed, he couldn't spread any farther.

"Get out…" Vegeta snarled, "of my body… Get out now!"

A sudden rush of energy forced Baby back and out. In a stream of liquid metal, he flew out of Vegeta's mouth and back into open air where he reformed again. Vegeta was breathing heavily now, wiping his mouth to rid it of the metallic taste.

"That was by far the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted."

Baby growled. "You got lucky that time. I'll just be sure to catch you off guard next time so you can't stop me."

Spitting one last time, Vegeta smirked at the Machine Mutant. "Don't bet on it. I was prepared for your little possession trick from the beginning. I'll never allow you to get control over me."

A scowl crossed Baby's face. He couldn't believe this was happening. This saiyan was making a fool out of him. Just days ago the monkey had been powerless before him. Now it was like child's play to him.

Cries of encouragement were heard from down below. Baby glanced down to see a crowd of his followers cheering him on. A sadistic smile crept up his face as an idea came to him. Sneering at Vegeta, he liquefied once more and shot into the crowd. One of the infected saiyan's eyes widened as Baby flowed over him, entering his body. Unlike he normally did in the past, he didn't simply go into the saiyan's brain, but instead seeped into every portion of his body. The infected saiyan willingly gave control over to his master, feeling honored at having been chosen as a vessel.

With Baby absorbed into his entire being, the infected saiyan went through a change. His black hair turned white and his eyes became visor-like to resemble Baby's, and similar markings the Tuffle had on his face appeared on the saiyan's.

Vegeta landed a short distance away, watching this unexpected development. He recognized the saiyan as Turles, a distant relative of Goku that greatly resembled the kind-hearted saiyan before he was possessed. Although now there was quite a difference between the two.

"How do you like that, saiyan?" Baby asked through Turles' mouth. "Lets see how well you fair against me while in someone else's body. As long as I'm in here, you can't hurt me without hurting your fellow saiyan."

He charged at the saiyan prince. Turles was already a powerful saiyan, but with Baby inside him, the Tuffle's power adding to his own, his power was greater than ever.

Nowhere near Vegeta's level though. The saiyan prince moved in one swift motion, his fist burrowing in the possessed man's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"What makes you think I would have a problem with that?" he asked.

Baby-Turles stumbled back, clutching his stomach in pain. "You damn… saiyan monkey."

"Disgusting parasite." Vegeta returned. "Super Galick Gun!"

Unleashing a powerful energy blast, Baby-Turles was consumed by the attack. Baby survived, Turles didn't. When the smoke cleared, the infected saiyan was completely gone, but a small wad of liquid metal still remained. It grew larger until it was full size, then reformed into Baby once again.

"There you are." Vegeta mocked. "How are you today?"

Baby took an angry step towards the saiyan. "You dare to poke fun at me? Rotten saiyan!"

He charged at Vegeta, putting all his strength into his next attack. His fist slammed into Vegeta's face, snapping his head to the side. A cocky smirk appeared on the Tuffle's face when the blow landed, but it was quickly erased when he saw the frown of disapproval on Vegeta's.

"Please don't tell me that's the best you've got." The saiyan prince remarked. He reached up and grabbed Baby's wrist in a death-like grip, earning him a painful gasp from the Tuffle. "I allow you a free shot, and that's the hardest you can hit me?"

Baby winced in pain as Vegeta's grip tightened. Suddenly, a blinding flash came from the Tuffle's eyes. Vegeta swore, closing his eyes and looking away as he was blinded. Baby liquefied his arm, allowing him to slip from the saiyan prince's grasp.

"Die, saiyan!"

He made a slicing motion with his hand, but Vegeta dodged it. Baby blinked in surprise and threw a punch, which Vegeta also dodged. He also avoided the kicks and other punches that followed up.

"Damn it!" Baby snarled. "Why can't I hit you?"

Eyes still closed, Vegeta chuckled. "Did you really think that taking away my sight would hinder me in any way? I can feel every vibration in the air. I know where your blows are going to land before you can even make them."

"Feel this, monkey!"

He threw another punch, but Vegeta did not avoid this one. Instead, he held up his hand, index finger out, blocking the blow with his fingertip alone. Once Baby got over his surprise, he went on the attack again, but Vegeta blocked every hit in the same manner. Baby knew he was making fun of him, and it was infuriating.

"I'll kill you yet, you dirty ape! I swear it on the honor of my-"

This time it was Vegeta that threw a punch, catching Baby right in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. "I certainly hope you weren't going to say the honor of your ancestors. Because the Tuffles are a race without honor. To think that they would create a creature that's meant to enslave the entire universe. And what a disappointment you must be, being so weak." He opened his eyes, wincing as they burned, but his vision was already returning. Rubbing them, he mocked the Tuffle further. "This is the most painful thing you've done to me so far. Rather sad."

"Shut up!" Baby snapped. "I'm the dominant life form. I'm meant to rule all. No one, not even the Grand Supreme Kai is my equal. All living things are nothing but scum beneath my feet, meant to serve me in all things. I'm-"

Vegeta's tail lashed out, smacking Baby in the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. "You're a freakish science experiment that's wandered too far from the lab." He cracked his knuckles, all signs of toying with the Tuffle gone. "It's time to put an end to this laboratory specimen."

Baby backed away, his fear and anger fighting for dominance. How could this be happening? No one was supposed to be his equal. He was the supreme being. No one was a match for his power and cunning. Even the great King Cold paled in comparison to him. Yet he was cowering before this miserable saiyan, the lowest of the lowest of beings.

"I'm going to count to ten." Vegeta told him. "Say a prayer, get something to eat, do whatever you want to do… then you will die."

Fury twisted Baby's features. He glared at the saiyan prince for a moment longer before he turned around and fled. Once he reached the city, he quickly went over to the destroyed Hatchiyack. Liquefying his arms, he dove them into the still smoking hole, his limbs melting into the machine.

"Hatchiyack, I need you now! You must work! I need you to work!"

Vegeta caught up to him, his arms crossed impatiently. "I give you a final ten seconds to live and you run to your busted machine."

Baby ignored him as his metal body filled in the parts of the machine that were destroyed by Vegeta's attack. "Start, you worthless pile of junk! I've come too far to stop now! Come on, do it!"

A spark of electricity flew across the machine and a few lights flickered on and off. A humming noise was starting up and fading out, indicating that the machine was indeed beginning to function once more.

Vegeta wasn't sure what was happening, but it brought a scowl to his face. "I don't know what you're doing, but I'm through playing games. It's time to end this."

"Yes!" Baby agreed, not even looking at him. "It is time to end this. My masterpiece is about to come to life. Absorb my grudge, Hatchiyack, and live!"

An abundance of dark energy flowed into the machine. Red lightning flew in all directions as the machine was consumed by a dark aura. Both Baby and Vegeta were thrown backwards from the power as the machine started up again.

"It's working!" Baby roared triumphantly. "It's working!"

All the dark energy, all the anger and hatred the machine had absorbed was brought forth. A pink ball of energy formed before it and began growing at an alarming rate. The overwhelming presence of an immensely powerful being was felt, and the energy just continued to grow as the pink ball of energy got bigger.

Vegeta's full attention was on the machine as it worked its magic. "Now this is getting interesting."

The growing pink energy ball seemed to reach its limit. Now it was shrinking. But as it got smaller, it revealed that something had formed within it, and was now being exposed as the pink ball of energy got smaller. When it disappeared, only a strange creature remained.

Never had Vegeta seen such a creature. It was pink and red, with what seemed to be large turquoise jewels on its body. He thought it looked rather ugly, maybe even deformed, but it was certainly intimidating as it towered over him, and it look very powerful.

The creature's yellow pupil-less eyes opened, seeming to focus on the saiyan prince. "Saiyan…" it grumbled

Baby took a step towards the creature. "Yes! It's been done! Hatchiyack has come to life! And now he belongs to me!"

Liquefying, he flew at the creature, flowing over him and seeping into every opening he could find. Once he was inside, Hatchiyack roared as he felt the Tuffle invade his mind. He clawed at his head for a few moments before stilling. A few seconds passed and Hatchiyack straightened up. This time, when he opened his eyes, they were the same visor-like eyes that Baby had, and he had the same type of smile the Tuffle was normally seen with.

"It's done." Said Hatchiyack, his voice a blend of Baby's and his own. "Hatchiyack is under my control now. You time is at an end, Vegeta."

A distance away, Tarble, Bulma, and Gure watched with looks of horror and awe on their face. The small alien tugged on Bulma pant leg, hoping for good news.

"Miss Bulma, please, look at your scouter and tell us that we have nothing to worry about."

Bulma prayed Gure was right. This creature, Hatchiyack, certainly looked intimidating, but could his power really be stronger than Vegeta's. She had to know. So she attached the scouter to her head and took a reading.

"W-Well, Vegeta has a power level of 442,000,000. That's higher than what I expected."

"Must be from the beating Baby gave him last time." Tarble replied. "And Baby has a power level of 130,000,000. Right?" At Bulma's nod, he asked the question they were all wondering the answer to. "So what's Hatchiyack have?"

Bulma targeted the strange creature and took a reading. The color drained from her face and she fell to her knees.

"That can't be good." Tarble muttered.

Gure shook Bulma desperately. "What is it? What did it say?"

Bulma's mouth worked, but no sound came out. She seemed unable to find her voice. Gure could no longer take the anxiety and pulled the scouter off to have a look for herself. On the screen, with arrows pointed directly at Hatchiyack, it was reading at 1,800,000,000.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: That's an accurate power level for Hatchiyack, or at least as close to that as can be determined. I know a lot of you are asking how Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta could be weaker than him, but don't forget, that Vegeta is several hundred million levels weaker in this story than he was in the actual series. He was almost at a billion in the series when he fought Hatchiyack. But in this story, with such a low power level, Hatchiyack greatly surpasses him, even as a Super Saiyan 4. And now Baby is inside him. The advantage Vegeta had gained is gone, and he's in even bigger trouble than before. Stay tuned for what comes next.)


	58. Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Hey everyone. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I had the traditional family get together. But you're not interested in that. You want the next chapter. Well, feel free to start reading at any time.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 58: Monster**

The billions! Hatchiyack's power was in the billions! How could anyone have that much power? Vegeta in his current state only had a power level in the hundred millions. And now, here was a creature with a power level mountains above that. Talk about jumping out of the frying pain and into the fire. This was a million times worse than before. And worst of all, Baby was in full possession of that creature.

Hatchiyack, or, more specifically, Baby-Hatchiyack, grinned evilly at the saiyan prince. "I hope you enjoyed yourself earlier, Vegeta, because I'm going to pay you back for all that you've done to me… with interest."

Regardless of the overwhelming power he felt, the saiyan prince was ready to fight. They had to warn him before it was too late.

"Vegeta!" Tarble yelled. "His power level is almost two billion!"

Stunned disbelief crossed Vegeta's face. Even though he knew better, he took his eyes off his enemy to stare at his brother. "That's a lie! You must have read it wrong!"

Before he could get a reply, pain exploded throughout his entire body as Baby-Hatchiyack's large fist collided with him. Not that he needed the distracting with speed and power at his level. Vegeta felt like every bone in his body had shattered from the blow as he flew through the air, crashing though numerous buildings.

Baby-Hatchiyack laughed. "Now, what was that you were saying earlier about me not being able to hurt you?"

In response, Vegeta sped towards the creature. He threw a punch, landing a direct hit to Baby-Hatchiyack's gut. Pain exploded in his hand, and he wouldn't have been surprised if it was broken, but Baby-Hatchiyack didn't even react.

"What the…?" the saiyan prince grunted.

Ignoring the pain in his hand, he began pummeling his fists against the creature's torso. Baby-Hatchiyack looked down at the saiyan prince in amusement as he tried and failed miserably to damage the creature. Almost carelessly, Baby-Hatchiyack swatted him aside, and Vegeta went flying as he had been a normal human getting hit head-on by a train. The building he crashed into collapsed on him, burying him beneath the rubble.

Baby-Hatchiyack cocked his head to the side. Pointing a finger at the rubble, he fired a small energy blast from it. The resulting explosion was enormous, and Vegeta was caught up in it. But the blast knocked him out of his dazed state and he took aim and fired a powerful energy blast of his own.

In the same mocking manner that Vegeta did to him, Baby-Hatchiyack let the attack hit him without trying to avoid it. Only he didn't wait around afterwards. He was suddenly behind Vegeta, his large muscular arm wrapping around the saiyan's neck. Vegeta struggled, more at risk of being crushed to death than choked. His fist pounded against the large arm, his elbow colliding with the creature's chest every time he brought his fist back to land another punch.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Baby-Hatchiyack taunted. "You were talking a lot of trash earlier." The saiyan prince managed to gasp out something, and Baby-Hatchiyack loosened his grip slightly. "Sorry, didn't catch that."

"Fight me yourself, you coward!"

The creature laughed. "That's rich, coming from you." He grabbed Vegeta's foot, releasing his grip on his neck, and began swinging him around. "You who couldn't even defeat Frieza without transforming is now complaining about me changing. The nerve!"

He threw the saiyan prince, watching as he tore the ground apart as he skidded against it. Vegeta was thankful for his thick coating of fur, preventing him from receiving a massive brush burn. "I'm still fighting with my own power." He wheezed out as he got to his feet. "It's me, my body, my power. I'm not hiding inside another person, using their power and body to fight my battles."

"I am fighting you with my own power, Vegeta." Baby-Hatchiyack told him. "It's my power that allows me to possess others and use them as I see fit, including using them to stomp you into the ground."

"You first!"

Vegeta charged at him, his fists flying. Now taunting the saiyan prince with his speed, Baby-Hatchiyack easily dodged each and every hit. This angered and stunned Vegeta. Even if Baby-Hatchiyack was a lot faster than him, how could he miss hitting such a big target? The creature was at least seven feet tall.

"Hold still and let me hit you!" Vegeta roared.

"Fine."

Unexpectedly, Baby-Hatchiyack froze. Vegeta's fist slammed directly into his face. There was no reaction from the creature, but pain flew up Vegeta's entire arm. He may as well have been an ordinary human punch a wall of ten-inch steel. At the very least, his wrist was badly sprained.

Grasping his hand, Vegeta tried to fight down the pain. Baby-Hatchiyack grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head down, slamming Vegeta's face into his knee. A powerful backhand followed up, sending the saiyan prince speeding away from him. But Vegeta managed to recover quickly, and he kicked off a building, speeding towards Baby-Hatchiyack. He threw a punch, but Baby-Hatchiyack vanished. He sensed the creature above him and looked up, gasping in surprise.

There was good news, bad news, and worse news. The good news was that Baby-Hatchiyack's power had just dropped from 1,800,000,000 to 1,500,000,000. The bad news was that that wasn't much help. The worst news was that there were now several copies of Baby-Hatchiyack floating over Vegeta's head. There had to be at last 30 of them.

Before Vegeta could react, all the Baby-Hatchiyacks flew down towards him. Several fists shot out, knocking Vegeta in one direction, then the other. The Baby-Hatchiyacks laughed evilly as they made sport of the saiyan prince, using him as a punching bag. While a few of them watched the duplicates beat the saiyan, the rest held back, waiting for their turning, switching out every so often.

As the infected saiyans cheered for their lord and master, Vegeta's three remaining companions looked on in horror. Bulma's fingers trembled as she tried to get a reading on all the clones after having taken it back from Gure once she got over the shock of Hatchiyack's power. The scouter scanned each and every one of them before finally focusing on one of the ones watching the beating take place. She realized almost immediately that this was the real one, or at least the original, and desperately wished for a way to tell this to Vegeta, but was unable to from way over here.

Through their bond, Vegeta felt Bulma focusing on a specific Baby-Hatchiyack. Gathering energy, he fired at the one he felt her looking at. The Baby-Hatchiyack simply let the attack hit, and all the clones vanished. But he didn't seem to care. He almost looked amused.

"Good guess, Vegeta." He mockingly congratulated. "If only it would have made a difference."

Vegeta began to power up. "How about this for a difference? Final Blast!"

A massive energy blast sped towards the creature. Looking insulted, Baby-Hatchiyack held up his hand and caught the attack. With little to no effort, he tossed it aside.

"You call that an attack?" he taunted. "Let me show you a real attack."

He crossed his arms in front of him. The turquoise jewels on his head, arms, chest, and ankles began glowing, seeming to be absorbing light. Seconds ticked by as the attack charged up. When it was ready, he unleashed it.

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise as he was blasted from the sky. He hit the ground with greater force than a meteor, creating a large crater. Baby-Hatchiyack chuckled as he looked down at the fallen saiyan prince. "That was my Revenge Cannon. Did you like it, Vegeta? It's my ultimate attack, though I did go easy on you."

Vegeta's eyes cracked open. He struggled to his feet as he began gathering energy. "Super Galick Gun!"

The attack flew up towards Baby-Hatchiyack. The creature smiled and kicked the attack, sending it in a different direction. When it finally landed, several miles away, the explosion was vast.

"Don't insult me with such pathetic attacks." Baby-Hatchiyack told him. "Especially since I'm not even at full power yet."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "What? It can't be. You're bluffing!"

Baby-Hatchiyack snickered. "Am I?"

Suddenly, he transformed, becoming even stranger than before. He grew in height and muscle mass, and his body seemed to obtain a type of armor that was attached to him. With the new sudden change came a tremendous power boost that the scouter revealed to Bulma.

"His power level just shot up to 3,600,000,000!" she screamed.

"What?" Tarble cried. "But that just can't be!"

"But it is!" Bulma cried. "As if we weren't screwed before."

Baby-Hatchiyack laughed. "How do you like that, Vegeta? This is my Super form. Think if it as my version of a Super Saiyan."

Vegeta did his best to hide his unease. "You look like you fell off a piece of coral."

"Can coral do this?"

The newly transformed creature vanished. Vegeta heard numerous explosions go off around him while at the same time feeling as if ever square inch of his body had been punched at the same time. It was a demonstration of speed as well as power. The blows came so fast that Vegeta's body didn't even have time to go flying in one direction or the other, and he merely remained where he was in the air.

Baby-Hatchiyack's large hand grasped Vegeta's tail, lifting him up over his head. Looking at the upside-down saiyan, he grinned. "Are you still with me, Vegeta?" Dazed, the saiyan prince struggled to open his eyes. Baby-Hatchiyack grinned. "Oh, good. You are. I wouldn't want the fun to end too quickly."

Spinning Vegeta around by the tail, he threw him through the air. The saiyan prince crash landed by his companions, who were quick to dig him out of the ground.

"Vegeta." Bulma cried, cradling his head in her lap. "Come on, please be all right."

Grunting, Vegeta opened his eyes. Realizing that he was on the ground again, he forced himself away from the others and tried to get to his feet, only to fall down again.

Baby-Hatchiyack landed a short distance away. "Is he still alive? I tried not to throw him too hard."

In a suddenly show of braver, Tarble rushed forward to face Baby-Hatchiyack. The young prince took a fighting stance and waited. The giant creature simply blinked down at him.

"You must be joking." He grumbled.

Tarble gulped nervously. "J-Just try me."

Baby-Hatchiyack laughed and dropped his Super form, reverting back to normal. "To face such a weakling at all, let alone in my Super form, is an insult to my power."

Closing his eyes, Tarble gave out a battle cry and charged forward, arms swinging. As if he didn't have a care in the world, Baby-Hatchiyack smacked him aside, the force of his blow sending the young prince flying out of sight.

Gritting his teeth, Vegeta forced himself to his feet. "Hey, freak, no one's aloud to beat down in my brother except for me."

Bulma hugged him from behind. "Vegeta, please, he's too strong. We have to retreat."

"And just where will we go, woman?" Vegeta demanded. "Unless we stop this clown here and now, there won't be anywhere in the universe that we'll be safe." He pulled away from her. "Besides, I'm not through yet."

Baby-Hatchiyack grinned. "Good, I was hoping there was still some fight left in you."

"More than some!"

He charged at the creature, and the two resumed their mock-battle, with Baby-Hatchiyack making sport out of the saiyan prince's attempt to attack him. Bulma watched the battle, missing more than she actually saw with the speeds they were moving. As the two fought, her eyes caught sight of something. As an idea formed in her head, her whipped off her scouter and handed it to Gure.

"Here, you be scouter-girl for a while."

Dumbfounded, Gure took the scouter on mere reflex as Bulma took off. "Wait, where are you going? Miss Bulma!"

Vegeta continued attacking Baby-Hatchiyack, and the creature continued to make a fool out of him. Every so often, he would mockingly smack Vegeta with light taps, blows that actually dealt a great deal of damage to the saiyan prince. The few blows that Vegeta did manage to land caused him more damage than anything. How much longer before he shattered his knuckles against the creature's body.

"Give it up, Vegeta." Baby-Hatchiyack taunted him. "I could kill you at any moment. But I want to hear you surrender first."

"No way in hell!" Vegeta snapped. "You're going down!"

He kicked out, and Baby-Hatchiyack caught his leg. "Wrong again. You're the one going down."

He threw the saiyan prince downward. Vegeta was unable to stop his momentum and crashed painfully to the ground. Up above, Baby-Hatchiyack crossed his arms in front of him. "I'm getting bored with this game. If I can't have the victory I want, I'll just end it."

He began powering up for his Revenge Cannon attack again. Vegeta recognized the posture and the gathering of energy. As the seconds ticked by, he noticed how long the attack took to prepare. If Baby-Hatchiyack wanted to use that move, then he would need to take the time to do it.

He didn't have time to dwell on it as the powerful blast came speeding down towards him. Jumping to his feet, he circled around the attack, kicking hard into the back of Baby-Hatchiyack's head.

"Oh, Vegeta," the creature grumbled, turning to face him, "always fighting, even in the face of death."

"I'll fight until I see you dead." The saiyan replied.

"An impossible feat."

"Says you!" Vegeta cried, throwing a punch.

Baby-Hatchiyack caught his fist, smirking. "Yes, says me."

The hand holding Vegeta's fist began to swell. Not just the hand though, Vegeta realized that Baby-Hatchiyack was growing as well, and at a rapid pace. He pulled his hand free, knowing full and well that he only managed to do so because the creature allowed it. Larger and larger he got, towering over even the buildings of the city, reaching a size even greater than a saiyan's Great Ape form.

"You can't defeat me, Vegeta!" the giant Baby-Hatchiyack roared. "I am a god!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: For those of you that don't know, Hatchiyack's Super form, along with his ability to multiply and grow were left out of the OVA, but appeared in the game. You can see videos of these abilities on You Tube or the DBZ website.)


	59. Vegeta's Inside Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter is short, and I'm sorry for that. To make up for it, I promise the next one will be extra long.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter: 59 Vegeta's Inside Story**

Baby-Hatchiyack towered over Vegeta, his fists pounding against his chest. He lashed out, knocking over a building, then kicked down another, making more room for himself. The saiyan prince looked up at him in horror. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He didn't stand a chance against him when he was normal size. How could he beat him now?

Gure was also worried, but for an entirely different reason as she read the number displayed on the scouter. Though a little less than it was in his Super form, Baby-Hatchiyack's power was still mountains above Vegeta's. There was no hope.

Bulma was staring at the giant monster with her mouth hanging open. Things just kept getting worse. Why couldn't Vegeta had just finished Baby off before he had gotten the chance to create and possess Hatchiyack? That damn saiyan arrogance was going to get them all killed one day, and it looked like it may be today.

Praying that Vegeta would at least be able to hold him off for a little while, she returned her attention to what she was doing before.

At this point, Tarble had also made it back after having been knocked halfway across the planet. He immediately went to his wife's side, his eyes fixed on Baby-Hatchiyack.

"Is that…?" he asked, unable to finish his question.

Gure simply nodded, at a loss for words.

"But he's…"

Gure nodded again

"Power level…?"

"3,060,000,000." Gure replied, finding her voice.

"Were doomed…"

Gure just nodded again.

Baby-Hatchiyack stared down the elder saiyan prince with an evil smile on his face. "What's the matter, Vegeta? Too big for you to handle?" He snickered. "I'll bet you're feeling what my ancestors did when the saiyan barbarians suddenly turned into giant monkeys right in front of them. Tell me, how does it feel?"

Vegeta's nails dug into his palm. "You… You think I'm afraid of you? All you've done is given me a bigger target."

He unleashed a powerful blast of energy. It exploded in Baby-Hatchiyack's face. The creature didn't react other than waving the smoke away. "What a joke. I'll show you how it's really done."

He began gathering energy for his Revenge Cannon. This time Vegeta was ready, and he began counting as he watched the creature charge up. At fifteen seconds, the attack was unleashed. And a bigger Baby-Hatchiyack meant a bigger attack. Vegeta just barely managed to avoid it, and still his tail got slightly singed.

Speeding towards the creature, Vegeta punched him right between the eyes. There was a loud crack and Vegeta grabbed his wrist. He probably broke his hand. That was just great, and he didn't have any Senzu beans to heal it, nor did he have time to sit in a healing tank until it got better.

Baby-Hatchiyack just smirked and flicked him out of his face. Vegeta spun through the air, struggling to stop his momentum. He kicked off a building, causing the entire structure to collapse, and flew at his opponent, firing energy blasts all the while. Baby-Hatchiyack laughed as he slowly approached the saiyan. He raised his hand to swat Vegeta from the sky, but the saiyan disappeared.

He reappeared above the giant monster's shoulder and brought his elbow down on it. More pain erupted in his arm, but at least it wasn't broken. Baby-Hatchiyack simply looked at him over his shoulder and snatched him in his hand. As Vegeta struggled, Baby-Hatchiyack grinned as he held the saiyan prince trapped.

"How cute. A pintsize saiyan." He gave the prince a slight squeeze. "I could pop your head off like a grape with ease."

Vegeta struggled to breathe in the creature's tight hold. "Unhand me!"

Baby-Hatchiyack chuckled. "As you wish, Fly, little saiyan, fly."

He blew out a puff of air that was a trillion times stronger than the most powerful of hurricanes and opened his hand. Vegeta went flying, crashing through buildings and slamming into the ground.

A group of infected saiyans was nearby, and they approached the fallen prince with cocky grins on their faces. They used the opportunity to literally kick him while he was down, shouting insults and even spiting on him.

Feeling multiple feet slamming into his sides and stomping down on him, Vegeta's anger helped him recover quickly. He had half a mind to vaporize all these fools, and he would have if they hadn't been under Baby's influence. Instead he unleashed a shockwave of energy that sent them flying. He jumped to his feet and sped towards Baby-Hatchiyack.

The giant monster just grinned. Once Vegeta was close enough, he clapped his hands, crushing the saiyan between them. When he opened his hands again, Vegeta hovered in the air for a few seconds, disorientated, before falling from the sky. Once he hit the ground, Baby-Hatchiyack brought his foot down on him.

The ground cracked and a large crater in the shape of Baby-Hatchiyack's foot was seen when he lifted it away. Vegeta laid in the middle of it, struggling to remain conscious.

"Feeling a little run down?" Baby-Hatchiyack asked.

Vegeta stumbled to his feet and slowly took to the air. When he was eyelevel with Baby-Hatchiyack, he held his hands out to gather energy, then brought them together. "Final Blast!"

The powerful beam of energy struck Baby-Hatchiyack in the chest. The monster just looked down where it hit and brushed his chest off, then gave the saiyan prince a cocky grin.

"I'll find some way to kill you." Vegeta told him. "I swear it!"

Baby-Hatchiyack laughed. "You still don't get it, do you, Vegeta. You never stood a chance. You couldn't even defeat Hatchiyack in his normal form, let alone his giant form or Super form." He grinned evilly. "So what hope do you have against me now?"

He transformed to his Super form, his power shooting up to its highest peak. He now stood before Vegeta as Super Giant Hatchiyack, and Baby was in complete control of him.

Baby-Hatchiyack's bellowing laughter rang out as he unleashed a shockwave of energy to allow the saiyan prince to feel the true extent of his power. Vegeta was sent flying backwards from the force. He slammed into the ground, creating a deep groove as he skidded along.

Bulma yelped as Vegeta skidded to a halt right next to her. The saiyan prince grunted in pain, but refused to give up. This brought a sigh of relief to Bulma. As long as he was willing to fight, he wasn't beaten yet, although the odds still weren't in his favor.

From a distance, Gure was jumping up and down and waving her arms, trying to get Vegeta's attention. "Vegeta! Vegeta! His power level is 6,120,000,000!"

Through his dazed state, Vegeta was barely able to make out what she said, but her words still registered to him. "Great…" he muttered. The creature's monstrous power level no longer surprised him. He wouldn't have been surprised if Gure had told him it was three times that number.

Groaning, he pulled himself out of the groove. Loud stomps drew his attention, and he saw Baby-Hatchiyack slowly making his way towards him, the stomping noise being the creature's footsteps as they made the ground tremble with each step he took.

Behind him, Bulma continued typing away on her computer. "How you holding up?"

He glared at her. "Just peachy. I love getting made a fool of by this freak." He eyed her computer, a laptop she called it. "And just what are you doing?"

She didn't even look up at him. "Trying to find a way for you to take down Hatchiyack. I'm hacking into the database."

Vegeta blinked. "You're what?"

That's when he realized that she was sitting next to the machine that had created Hatchiyack, and that she had a cable connecting her computer to it.

"You actually have really good timing." She told him. "I think I have a way for you to beat him."

Vegeta scoffed doubtfully. "And how would you know that?"

She threw him a dirty look. "This has all the data for his genetic makeup. By learning as much as I can about him, I hoped I could find a weakness." She gave him a cocky smirk. "And I did."

"Did what?"

"Found a weakness."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "What weakness? Tell me!"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It looks like Hatchiyack's body has a core that the rest of him is built upon. If you destroy that core, his whole body will break down."

The saiyan prince looked back at the approaching monster. "Great. So where is this core?"

This time she did roll her eyes. "Where is a core normally located?"

Vegeta growled at her nerve, but his eyes began scanning the monster's body. His core was likely in his center. "So I just blast him and hope I reach his core?"

Bulma frowned. He wasn't going to like this. "You'll never be able to pierce his armor. You can't get to his core from out here."

Frustrated, he turned back to her. "Then how am I supposed to reach it?"

He received no answer. From the look she was giving him, he realized that she was letting her silence do the talking. A horrified look crossed Vegeta's face as he turned back to the creature.

"You've… You've got to be joking…"

"It's all we've got, Vegeta." She told him. "You better make do."

"What are you two talking about?" Baby-Hatchiyack asked, having gotten close enough to see that their mouths were moving, but was still unable to hear them. "Exchanging words of love before you die?"

As Bulma blushed, Vegeta flew into the air. "This battle is far from over!"

Baby-Hatchiyack grinned. "Wrong again, Vegeta. I've grown tired of our game. Now that you know beyond reasonable doubt that you can't beat me, it's time to end this."

He struck a familiar pose and his turquoise jewels began glowing as he prepared for his Revenge Cannon. Vegeta immediately began counting. With Hatchiyack in his Super form, as well as being giant, there was no way he would survive this attack, nor would he be able to deflect or avoid it. He only had one shot.

His counting continued, and as soon as he reached fourteen, he struck, firing a blast of energy. His aim was dead on, the attack hitting Baby-Hatchiyack in his left eye. No matter how big or how powerful he was,  _that_  really hurt.

The energy Baby-Hatchiyack had gathered for his attack vanished and he roared in pain, his hands covering his eye. Howling in agony, stomping around, his feet crushing anything in his path.

"You bastard!" he roared. "You damn miserable saiyan! What a lousy cheap shot! Where are you? I swear I'll make you pay for this!"

As he covered his eyes with one hand and lashed out randomly with the other, Vegeta got as close to the creature as he dared. When Baby-Hatchiyack opened his mouth to unleash another pain-filled wail, he flew inside and down the creature's throat.

' _I can't believe I'm actually doing this!'_  he thought in aggravation, doing his best to avoid actually touching the monster's insides, less he informed him where he was.

As Vegeta flew down the monster's body, he noted that Hatchiyack seemed to be a perfect blend of organic and cybernetic parts fused together. A certain blue-haired woman would no doubt be fascinated by such a strange creature, but she would have to settle for whatever she found out while doing her hacker thing.

He on the other hand had to focus on finding Hatchiyack's core. He could sense it, sort of. It was like a river of energy was flowing out from one specific point to the rest of the creature's body, and he flew in the direction he felt the source coming from, taking several twists and turns.

He finally came to an opening, and he saw some strange cocoon-like blob of flesh dangling in the middle of the empty space. The source of energy he felt was coming from there. If that wasn't a core, he didn't know what else it was.

"Where are you, saiyan?" he heard Baby-Hatchiyack shout. "I know you're still here! I can sense you! Come out and face me!"

Vegeta began gathering as much energy as he could to unleash his most powerful attack. "I've had more than enough of this freak."

Whether his words were the reason for his location being revealed or if Baby-Hatchiyack had managed to pinpoint his location, he wasn't sure. But Hatchiyack's core shifted slightly and Baby's face appeared on it, glaring at Vegeta furiously.

"Saiyan!" he roared.

Vegeta couldn't have picked a better target. "Final Shining Attack!"

A powerful beam of energy flew at the core. Baby's face twisted into a mask of unrestrained anger and hatred as the attack hit its mark, completely vaporizing the core.

Outside, Hatchiyack roared in agony as his core was incinerated. His hands clawed at his chest as cracks began forming along it, spreading to the rest of his body. The onlookers noticed small explosions happening along his torso as he seemed to be blowing up from the inside out. Finally, his chest blew open as Vegeta's attack forced its way through his degenerating body.

Hatchiyack fell backwards, his giant form toppling over onto the very machine that had created him. His internal explosions began taking place on the outside as his body continued to break down. He finally completely erupted, becoming consumed in a massive explosion that completely obliterated the giant monster and the hate-filled machine that had given him life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I couldn't resist the name of the chapter. I recently played the GBS game "Bowser's Inside Story", and, well, that's where the name came from. By the way, the way Vegeta beat Hatchiyack here is the same way Goku beat him in one of the alternate endings of The Plan To Eradicate The Saiyans. But now that Hatchiyack has been destroyed, does this mean that the threat is over, or did Baby survive? And what about all the infected saiyans. You won't want to miss the next chapter, it's gonna be a good one.)


	60. Extinction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm back, and I've got a nice long chapter for you. I told you it would be.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 60: Extinction**

Bulma trembled as the dust began to settle from the mighty explosion that had consumed Hatchiyack. That had been way too close for comfort. After Vegeta had fired that blast into Baby-Hatchiyack's eye, causing the monster to begin stomping around, she had made a run for it, unable to believe that she had even allowed him to get that close to her to begin with. And it was a good thing she had started running when she did, otherwise she would have gotten caught up in the blast.

Still, it seemed the plan worked. Destroying Hatchiyack's core had finally brought down the beast, and, seemingly, Baby along with it. But where was Vegeta? He had been inside that monster when it blew.

"Vegeta?" she screamed. "Vegeta, where are you? Answer me!"

Bulma may have been an idealist, but she was also a realist. As much as she wanted to believe that Vegeta had survived that blast, she had to admit that the chances were unlikely. Hell, Hatchiyack hadn't survived it, so the odds that Vegeta, who was inside Hatchiyack, where the explosion originated from, had managed to survive was unlikely.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as eyes as she looked around desperately for her saiyan prince. "Vegeta… please be ok… I need you to be ok…"

As the dust settled more and more, she saw movement from within it. Her eyes widened hopefully as she desperately crawled closer.

"Vegeta?"

A sudden movement caused the dust cloud to disperse, and a shapeless mound of metal was seen. It grew larger, reshaping itself, reforming into Baby.

Bulma cried out and immediately went in the opposite direction, fearing that Baby would seize her at any moment. But the Tuffle was exhausted. Once he reformed completely, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"This isn't possible. How could Hatchiyack have been defeated? Damn that miserable saiyan, he's ruined everything."

"So you're still alive?"

Baby froze. Struggling to work up the courage, he looked over his shoulder. Up in the sky, Vegeta hovered in the air, alive and well. His presence brought a joyful cry from Bulma and cheers from Tarble and Gure.

Vegeta looked down at Baby with a smirk on his face. "And you claimed that we saiyans are hard to get rid of. You should speak for yourself."

Baby seethed with fury. "You still don't understand the depths of my survival skills. Even if my whole body is destroyed, as long as a single cell remains, I will regenerate fully."

The saiyan prince chuckled. "Is that so? Then I'll just have to make sure I completely wipe you out."

A shiver of fear ran down Baby's spin. "Fool! You think it's that easy?"

"It is that easy." Vegeta told him. "You had the upper hand while you were possessing that monster, but now we're right back to where we started from. You can't defeat me as you are now, and you know it. True, I did take quite a bit of damage while fighting that giant freak, but I'm still more than capable of finishing you off."

"NO!" Baby snarled. "You don't, Vegeta! You don't have what it takes to finish me off! I am my ancestor's ultimate revenge! You will feel my wrath, and theirs!" He raised his hands over his head. "Tuffles, my people, my loyal followers, give me your power! Channel all your anger and hate, and let it swell! The time has come to finally and truly take our revenge!"

All around, the possessed saiyans' eyes began glowing red and a black aura surrounded them. These auras slowly rose up and began drifting over to Baby. It wasn't just from his followers either. The black aura seemed to be seeping down from the very sky, appearing, seemingly, out of thin air. And the destroyed remains of where the machine that had created Hatchiyack rested began unleashing the thickest, foulest, blackest aura of them all to the point where it was almost a physical mass rather than a cloud of energy. It was all the remaining negative energy the machine had gathered to create the monster, now set free.

Insanity blazed in Baby's eyes as the dark auras gathered together. His own aura, almost rivaling that from Hatchiyack, drifted up from his own body to join the others. Above him, a ball of black energy slowly began to materialize, so dark that it seemed to suck up the very light around it. It grew at a rapid pace as it absorbed the dark auras from all around. In a short time, Baby held a gigantic black ball of energy over his head.

Looking up at Vegeta, Baby zeroed in on him with his ultimate attack. "Behold, Vegeta, the object to your demise! This is my most powerful attack, the Revenge Death Ball! It's an accumulation of all the anger and hatred of everyone that was every wronged by the saiyans, especially my ancestors! Their very emotions power this attack and give it form! You will be crushed beneath the very feelings you and your people have invoked within the Tuffle race!"

Vegeta continued looking down at the Tuffle with his arms crossed as he summed up the power within the Revenge Death Ball. "You're attacking me now with your feelings? Very well, give me your best shot, Baby."

Baby's cocky sneer turned into an angry snarl. "Don't! Call! Me! That!" He locked onto his target. "Go, Revenge Death Ball!"

He threw the giant ball of negative energy. Fueled with the power of hate, it obliterated anything in its path. Vegeta met it head on as it rushed towards him like darkness during a solar eclipse, but darker than even the blackest of nights.

Drained as he was, Vegeta's pride wouldn't let him turn away from this attack. Baby claimed that this dark ball contained all the power of those that hated the saiyans, created by the Tuffles and fueled by their fury. He would show that he was greater than it all by facing it head on. And not just by withstanding it, but conquering it.

It was like touching death itself. As Vegeta held out his hands to catch the Death Ball, the darkness he felt from it was unlike anything imaginable. Baby wasn't kidding, he could literally be crushed under all this hate, so great was the pain and anger of the Tuffles. But he would not let himself be defeated.

The attack pushed him back, taking him up higher and higher, threatening to throw him into space and consume him. He wouldn't let it. He pushed back with all his strength, slowing down the Death Ball more and more, even as he felt as if by touching the ball he was allowing himself to be contaminated by pure evil.

"Baby!" he roared. "Do you really think you can defeat me with this? Do you think that the greatest warrior the universe has ever known can be taken down by a mere emotion? I will not allow it!"

With a burst of strength, he managed to halt the Death Ball's advance, holding it at bay. Down on the ground, Baby looked on in disbelief as Vegeta held back his ultimate attack. "Impossible…"

Vegeta couldn't help but laugh as he began to take control. The attack itself fought against him, refusing to bend to the will of the very creature that created the hatred that formed it.

"I am the prince of all saiyans. I have gone above and beyond the level of the Legendary Super Saiyan. This attack is nothing for me. I'll show you that not only am I capable of overpowering your hatred, I will conquer it!"

He began flooding the Death Ball with his own energy. The process was slow, starting from the outside and working its way in. The Death Ball started getting lighter. Its black color slowly gave way to a silvery-bluish white light. The darkness continued to fade as Vegeta used his own energy to overpower the negative energy, purifying it. The darkness got smaller and smaller until it vanished completely, leaving the Death Ball as a bright glowing sphere of light.

Baby unconsciously took a step back as he looked up at his newly transformed attack. "I don't believe it. He used his own energy to purify my Revenge Death Ball and turn it into a Spirit Bomb. This just can't be!"

The look on the Tuffle's face was priceless. Now Vegeta was completely satisfied. Baby was finished, and he knew it. All his power, even fueled by his ancestors and all their hatred weren't enough. Baby and the Tuffle race were nothing to him.

"Here, I'm done playing with this." He declared. It was a fitting end to dispose of the Tuffle with his own attack, the very attack Baby and his ancestors created for the sole purpose of ending the saiyans. "You can have it back now!"

He raised the enormous ball of energy over his head, enjoying the Tuffle's fearful last moments. Baby, on the other hand, was looking around desperately for a way out. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape that attack, not when Vegeta had it locked on him. Nor could he overpower Vegeta and take control of it again while Vegeta was so strong. Worst of all, all that power was more than enough to wipe him out, obliterating even the smallest particle of him.

Even if Vegeta hadn't taken over his attack, the saiyan would still be able to defeat him with little to no effort. He needed to come up with something. He needed an escape route.

' _That's it!'_

He vanished from where he was. This didn't concern Vegeta in the least; the Tuffle could never get away. But he gasped when he saw that escape wasn't Baby's top priority. No, the Tuffle had used his super speed to appear behind Bulma. His hand shot out, pushing the woman to the ground, and his foot came down on her; not hard enough to do any damage, but enough to cause her pain and keep her pinned down.

"Vegeta," Baby shouted, "if you value the life of your woman, then you will do exactly what I say!"

Vegeta remained frozen in the air, holding the massive ball of energy over his head. "You… you… coward."

As Bulma continued to cry out in pain, Baby continued to address the saiyan prince. "Hear me well, Vegeta. If you attack now, she will die."

Vegeta growled in frustration. "Leave her out of this! She is of no concern to you!"

Baby pressed down harder, increasing the volume of Bulma's screams. "Don't test me, Vegeta. I may have valued her as a potential follower and bride, but I value my life much more."

He grinned evilly as he watched the saiyan. The woman was definitely Vegeta's weakness. He didn't think Vegeta wouldn't attack as long as her life was in danger. Now he just had to make his escape with her as his hostage. He had decided against possessing her, fearing that Vegeta may decide she would be better off dead than possessed. So instead he would just keep her close.

"Are you really so despicable that you would hide behind a helpless woman?" Vegeta demanded. "You're such a coward."

Baby laughed. "You call it cowardly, but I call it strategic. This woman has made you soft, Vegeta. She's your biggest weakness."

By now, Vegeta had managed to regain some control over himself and smirk. "What makes you think I care about her? Do you think I'd sacrifice my race, my planet, my life, my everything, for her? Don't be a fool!"

Snickering, Baby called his bluff. "Fine then, go ahead and do it, throw that attack. Kill us both. Show me you speak the truth."

Vegeta's mask dropped, his features twisting the anger and a hint of concern.

Baby grinned triumphantly. "Just as I thought. You can't do it. The mighty Vegeta is undone by a mere woman. How pathetic!"

Through the pain from the pressure on her back, Bulma looked up at the saiyan prince. "V-Vegeta…"

Baby pressed down harder. "Silence, wench! The big boys are talking right now." He looked back up at Vegeta. "Unless you want her dead, drop your transformation state. Do it now."

Vegeta growled. If he powered down, Baby would be the stronger of the two of them again. And with the Blutz Wave Generator destroyed, he wouldn't be able to reach his newly discovered Super Saiyan state.

"Well?" Baby demanded. "What are you waiting for? Power down." He dug his foot deeper into Bulma's back, earning another scream of pain. "Or do you want your mate's death on your conscience?"

Vegeta continued to look at Bulma for a few seconds, her face twisted with pain, before he gave in with the utmost reluctance. "All right, fine."

He powered down, returning to normal. Or almost normal. He simply dropped down to the original Super Saiyan state. He still wasn't a match for Baby like this, but he'd be damned if he made himself completely defenseless. Plus, he still held the giant ball of energy. It was fully capable of wiping out Baby, no matter how weak Vegeta was.

Down on the ground, Baby chuckled. The saiyan sure was cheeky, but he'd let him maintain the golden Super Saiyan state. He'd already proved that he could easily tear Vegeta apart in that form. The real problem was that powerful attack that the saiyan still held. As long as Vegeta held onto that, he could still win.

"Now get rid of that Spirit Bomb." He ordered. "Toss it aside."

Vegeta glared at him. "Do you think I'm a fool? If I get rid of this, it's all over. And I'm not foolish enough to allow you to kill me and let you win."

Baby chuckled. "I suppose that's true. Then it seems we're at an impasse. If you attack, you'll destroy me, but also you're mate, and if you throw away that attack, I'll destroy you. So, let's compromise. Hold onto that attack, but don't use it. Allow me to escape so we can continue this another day." He looked down at Bulma. "Of course, I'll be taking her with me, as insurance. Surely you understand. I can't have you throwing the Bomb once she's clear."

Vegeta was outraged. "You expect me to just leave her at your mercy?"

"At least she'll be alive." Baby countered. "We all will, and we'll settle this another day. The choice is yours, Vegeta. Either kill us both, or let us both live. What's it going to be?"

The saiyan prince was infuriated by the Tuffle's nerve. He couldn't let the parasite escape. What was to stop the freak from simply blowing up the planet once he left it? Then again, Baby did seem to care about his home. But even so, if he got away, he would still spread to the rest of the universe, and no doubt he would come back and finishing what he started one day. Why hadn't he finished him off when he had the chance? His arrogance really was going to be his undoing.

Even if Vegeta gained the power to the next Super Saiyan level again, the odds of finding Baby once he spread was slim to none. And he'd still lose Bulma to the parasite's possession.

He had to finish him off. But… Bulma…

"Well, what's it going to be, Vegeta?" Baby asked, digging his heel deeper into Bulma's back, making her scream even louder. "If you don't decide fast, her spine will get crushed, and then, even if she does survive, she won't be as useful in the bedroom."

His sinister laughter erupted as he watched Vegeta struggle with his decision. His whole focus was on the saiyan prince that he didn't sense the approaching figure, nor did he see the sudden movement.

Using all his power, Tarble tackled Baby, catching the Tuffle by surprise. The young saiyan prince pounded his fists against Baby, hitting everywhere he could. Annoyance flashed across Baby's face as Tarble pummeled him. The blows didn't hurt, but it pissed him off to think that this weakling had managed to knock him over, even with a sneak attack.

"Get off me!"

He elbowed Tarble in the gut, sending the young prince flying. Baby was instantly on his feet, his gaze shifting towards his hostage. But Bulma was gone. In the distance, he saw Gure flying away, supporting Bulma as they made their escape.

Baby's face twisted into a mask of anger and fear as he looked up at Vegeta. Righteous fury burned in the saiyan's eyes. "I'm done with you, Baby! Go meet your ancestors in Hell!"

He threw the Spirit Bomb. Baby took a few fearful steps back as the attack approached. He fired a blast of energy at it, only to watch it bounce right off.

As the attack fell upon him, Baby gave an enraged battle cry and caught the ball, pushing back against it with all his might. His feet dug into the ground, tearing up the hard rock surface as the Bomb pushed him back. But Baby refused to give up. He was fighting against Vegeta's power in the original Super Saiyan state, not the seemingly unbeatable form he was in earlier.

Vegeta's look of satisfaction at having ended the Tuffle soon left his face as he watched the Spirit Bomb slow down and then come to a stop. On the other side, Baby used all his power to push back against it, trying to take control.

Vegeta pushed harder, Baby pushed back, and managed to take a step forward, followed by another, then another.

"No," Vegeta groaned, "I won't let you defeat me, Tuffle."

Even if Baby had heard Vegeta's words, he wouldn't have been able to reply as he put everything he had against forcing the Spirit Bomb at Vegeta. He was making progress, now able to walk almost normally. He felt Vegeta pushing against him, but in his current state, he wasn't strong enough to overpower him.

Rubbing the sore spot on her back, Bulma watched as Baby slowly took control of the Spirit Bomb while Vegeta tried desperately to fight back. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"It's Baby." Tarble told her, rubbing his chest where he had been hit. "He's taking control, and Vegeta's not strong enough to fight back."

"How can someone be that strong?" Gure cried. "Look, he's gaining ground."

The look on Baby's face of him gritting his teeth slowly shifted into an evil grin as he pushed the attack back further and further. He pressed back with his energy, and the Spirit Bomb slowly began ascending back into the sky. He no longer needed to physically touch it to push it back.

Up in the sky, Vegeta felt the attack coming closer. He pushed with everything he had. He couldn't abandon the attack, it was the  _only_  chance he had at defeating Baby. But it was no use, he wasn't strong enough. The Spirit Bomb was making its way back towards him. He didn't have the power to take back control, not in this form. If he could access the next level, he could do it with ease, but without his tail, or the right amount of Blutz Waves, that state was lost to him.

The Spirit Bomb was moving faster now, Baby had pushed it back almost a quarter of the way. Vegeta felt his strength giving out further as the task became more and more difficult, while it seemed to become easier for Baby.

"No." Vegeta grumbled. "It can't end like this. I can't let this parasite take over."

He unleashed all his remaining power, putting everything he had into his next push, hoping for just a small sliver of hope. But the attack didn't even slow down. If anything, it got even faster as Vegeta's strength depleted further.

"It's… no… use…" he muttered, closing his eyes as he accepted the inevitable, but still unwilling to give up the fight.

"What kind of talk is that?"

Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he looked over his shoulder. "What the? Bardock?" It was indeed the psychic saiyan floating behind him. "Where did you come from?"

Bardock ignored the question. "My visions have shown me how you can obtain victory." He told him.

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Then what are you waiting for, imbecile!"

Bradock nodded. "Yes. Forgive me for this, my lord."

He moved quickly. The next thing Vegeta knew, Bardock had torn open the back of the saiyan prince's pants and seized the small furry stump that remained of his tail from when Frieza cut it off. Getting a good grip, he used his feet to push against Vegeta's back and pulled.

Pain exploded in Vegeta's lower back, shooting up his spin and throughout his body. He cried out in agony as it felt like his entire backbone was being torn from his body. All effort to push the Spirit Bomb back stopped as the pain became the only thing he could focus on.

Back on the ground, Baby felt Vegeta's attempts to push back cease completely. He saw the saiyan prince screaming in agony while Bardock hovered behind him. But Baby didn't care. All thoughts of gaining the psychic saiyan as a follower were gone. He wanted them all dead. With a victorious cry, he sent the Spirit Bomb flying towards the two saiyans. It was a fitting end, his ultimate attack was going to destroy the very saiyan that had purified it with his own energy.

Up in the sky, Vegeta continued howling in agony as Bardock continued pulling his tail, forcing it to grow. The pain distracted him from everything else, even the rapidly approaching attack. His tail extended further as Bardock pulled harder, finally reaching the tail's maximum length. When it would extend no further, Bardock's grip was lost, the tail slipping from his hands, and the momentum sending him spinning away.

The pain vanished, but the aftershocks of the pain still remained. Blinking back tears, Vegeta did his best to ignore the remaining pain as the rest of the world came back to him, including the rapidly approaching ball of energy. Vegeta ignored all these things for the moment and searched his inner being, finding access to what he was searching for. Bardock had been right, but it had still hurt like hell.

"I get you for that later, Bardock." He grumbled.

He transformed, reaching the next level of Super Saiyan. He held out his hand and unleashed a shockwave of energy. The Spirit Bomb came to a complete stop, ripples of energy spreading across the surface from the collision with the shockwave.

With a loud battle cry, Vegeta pushed back against the Spirit Bomb with all his might, sending it speeding back in the other direction.

Down below, the ground shook as the Spirit Bomb flew towards Baby. The Tuffle flinched as he felt the shockwave flow over him. Looking up, he saw the Spirit Bomb flying towards him, and up in the sky, Vegeta had once again taken on his most powerful form. With nothing else to do, he held out his hands to once again hold back the massive ball of energy.

It hit with force a thousand times stronger than before, pushing Baby back, his feet once again tearing through rock and dirt as he tried to gain leverage. He wasn't able to hold the Spirit Bomb back this time; it didn't even slow down.

Baby put everything he had into it. His feet dug into the ground, his hands burned against the Spirit Bomb's surface, and his veins bulged as he struggled to keep the attack at bay. But it was all in vain. The attack finally stopped pushing him back, but only because the ground had begun to cave in beneath him, and he found himself being buried in shattered rock.

The look of struggled determination on the Tuffle's face slowly disappeared to one of stunned acceptance. In that moment, he realized that it was all over. He had failed; his ancestors had failed. This was really it; he was going to die.

' _Now I know the true nature of a saiyan.'_

Before his very eyes, his hands began to break down. It continued up his arms until he was consumed by the Spirit Bomb. An agonized wail escaped Baby before he was completely and entirely obliterated. All of him, every last cell, straight down to the nucleus of the smallest atom in his body, was vaporized into nothingness from the attack, leaving no trace of the Tuffle. His energy signal disappeared entirely, indicating the death of the parasite, and the complete and utter extinction of the saiyan race that had begun decades ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter was basically a rewrite of the final battle with Kid Buu in the series. Baby's Revenge Death Ball is basically an evil Spirit Bomb, which is why it became one after Vegeta purified it. And now Baby is finally gone. We also saw just how much Vegeta cares for Bulma again, and Tarble had a moment in the spotlight. But it's not over yet. Now they've got a whole race of infected saiyans that are not going to be happy that their leader is dead.)


	61. Purification

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter is kind of short. Sorry about that, but I think the long one I gave you last time should make up for it. Now then, Baby may be gone, but there's still the matter of an entire race of infected saiyans. Yes, Vegeta could easily defeat them, but then he'd be wiping out his own race. Bulma said she had a way to save them. This idea was presented back in chapter 41, though I doubt anyone spotted it, or of they did, even remember it. If so, congrats to you.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 61: Purification**

Bulma, along with everyone else, had been blinded by the light produced of the Spirit Bomb when it blew. None of them had heard Baby's cries over the sound of the blast, but when the light finally disappeared and the massive cloud of dust had died down, there wasn't a single trace of the Tuffle to be seen or detected.

Up in the sky, Vegeta stared down at the massive hole left behind. It was all over now. He had felt the Tuffle die. Now he could rot in Hell with the rest of his miserable race. It was just sad that his father wasn't around to truly witness the end of the Tuffles. His only consolation was that if his father and Baby managed to meet in Other World that he would be able to rub it in the Tuffle's face that his son had taken him down.

' _Father, you have been avenged.'_

With a self-satisfied smirk, he drifted down from the sky and reverted to his Base form. He immediately saw Bulma, Tarble, and Gure running towards him. Tarble, being the fastest, reached Vegeta first. The older brother knew it was coming, and he let the younger prince glomp him again, rolling his eyes as he did so. Gure reached him next, but chose instead to jump around him while cheering.

As Bulma brought up the rear. Vegeta pushed his little brother off him to give Bulma room. She plowed into him, pressing herself against his chest, sobbing. Smirking, Vegeta wrapped an arm around her.

"What are you crying for, woman?"

Bulma rubbed her tear-stained face into his chest. "Don't start with me. I was so worried about you. There were so many close calls."

Vegeta chuckled. "How sweet. You're not in love with me, are you?"

Bulma was glad he couldn't see her face. "I could ask you the same thing. I can't believe you let Baby gain advantage over you because he was holding me hostage." She looked up at him with a mocking glare. "Some cold-hearted warrior you are."

Vegeta growled, but his cheeks had taken on a pink tint. It wasn't until Tarble tugged on his new tail that he drew his attention away from the blue-haired woman.

"Vegeta," Tarble muttered fearfully, "we have a problem."

The saiyan prince groaned. "What now?"

When he turned around, he saw a large crowd of infected saiyans approaching. They all had murder in their eyes. The crowd got larger as nearly the entire saiyan population came forth to avenge their master.

"He killed Lord Baby!"

"He killed our master!"

"Damn saiyan! Someone get him!"

"Kill the saiyan! Kill him!"

The crowd's angry cries of "Kill him" echoed all around. Vegeta silently swore as his people closed in on them. He'd hoped that with Baby gone that they would return to normal. He knew it was unlikely, since Baby wasn't directly affecting them, and it was the eggs he had laid in their heads that was making them behave the way they were.

As Tarble and Gure hid behind Vegeta, Bulma pressed herself closer into him. The arm around her tightened protectively as Vegeta glared at the crowd.

"Do you fools really wish to challenge me?" he shouted.

The crowd paused, hesitating. They knew that not one of them, even working together, stood a chance against the saiyan prince. To fight meant death for sure.

"We'd gladly die to avenge our master!" a saiyan shouted.

This was followed by shouts of agreement from the rest and they began closing in on them again. Vegeta's fingers dug into his palms. He didn't want to kill his own people, but it looked like they weren't giving him a choice. Baby had such a tight hold over them that they might even sacrifice themselves by destroying the planet just to avenge the parasite.

He glanced at Bulma, who seemed to be trying to vanish inside his body. "Hey, Bulma, didn't you say that you had a way to free them from Baby's control?"

Not taking her eyes off the crowd of angry infected saiyans, she nodded. "Yeah, but I don't have it with me. It's in the palace."

"In the…? What could we possibly have in the palace that can fix this?"

Before she could answer, the crowd of infected saiyans charged. Vegeta pushed Bulma behind him and took on a fighting stance, ready to fend off the infected saiyans. Before he could react, a blast of energy exploded in front of the crowd of infected saiyans, halting their charge.

"My lord!" Bardock cried, flying down in front of Vegeta and the others. "You're all right."

"Perfectly fine," Vegeta mumbled, his gaze shifting back to the crowd, "all things considered."

Bardock smirked. "Not to worry, my lord. I've got it covered." He turned to Bulma, holding something out to her. "I believe this is what you require."

Bulma's eyes widened as she looked at the blue decorative jug in Bardock's arms. "Wha…? How did…? How did you know?"

He winked at her. "I'm psychic, remember."

Bulma snatched the jar out of his hands and struggled to uncork it as the infected saiyans began closing in on them again. Vegeta eyed the jug curiously. "What is that?"

"A gift from the Namekians." She told him. "Before we dropped them off on their new planet, they gave it to us as thanks for saving them from Frieza." She managed to pull the cork free. "Got it!"

She turned it upside down. A golden mist drifted out and began covering the area. It spread rapidly, consuming the small group in a gold haze. Expanding further, it drifted over the crowd of infected saiyans, and they froze as the mist flowed over them.

The mist didn't seem to affect anyone in Vegeta's group. He glanced at Bulma in bewilderment. "What is that stuff?"

"I told you; it was a gift from the Namekians." She replied. "They said it's some type of sacred water, though it's more like a mist. It cures whatever ails the body, including diseases and infections, or, in this case, possessions and mind control."

Looking back at the crowd of saiyans, they saw what seemed to be red smoke rising from them as the sacred water vaporized the eggs in their brains along with any other portion of Baby's essence that remained.

The mist kept expanding, slowly making it's way around the planet to begin the process of not only curing anyone still under Baby's influence, but to heal the planet of the damage caused by the Destron Gas.

The saiyans slowly came back to their senses. They looked around in confusion, feeling as if they had woken up from a dream. Their memories were all fuzzy from the time in their infected state. As they muttered in confusion, Vegeta looked at Bulma in admiration.

"Impressive, woman." He complimented her. "That was some plan you had. Who would have thought those green toads had something like that in their possession."

Bulma gave him a cocky grin. "See, that's the benefit of  _helping_  people; you'll be rewarded with things you never knew of. You might want to try it more often. It pays off better than simply conquering and taking, don't you think?"

Vegeta gave her a dirty look and refused to answer. Instead, he just looked up at the golden haze surrounding them. "So what do we do about this stuff?"

Bulma just waved it off. "Don't worry about it. It'll go away after a while." She looked out into the crowd. "I'm just glad our people are back to normal."

Vegeta smirked. "So you think of them as 'our' people now. That means you're accepting that this place is your home."

She shrugged. "I suppose I have for a while now. Oh, look, there's Gohan."

She waved to the boy, getting his attention. Gohan ran towards them, happy to see his friends alive and well. "Hey, are you guys all right?"

Bulma smiled at her friend. "We should be asking you that. How do you feel?"

Gohan looked down at himself. "I feel fine. Great actually." He looked at the crowd. "It looks like everyone is back to normal, and I can't feel Baby anywhere." He turned back to them, his eyes shining with happiness. "You guys saved us, didn't you?"

Bulma latched herself onto Vegeta's arm and gave the victory sign, winking at the boy. "You bet, kid. We took down that nasty Tuffle."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. "We?"

She glared at him. "Yes,  _we_ , Mr. Super Saiyan. You may have did the fighting, but you never would have gotten anywhere if it wasn't for us, especially little old me."

Vegeta reluctantly grumbled in acknowledgment, not wanting to admit that she had been a great help. "I suppose you helped a bit."

Bulma smacked him on the back. "Oh, you big softy."

"Hey!" a saiyan cried, having seen Bulma's treatment of their prince. "Show some respect to the prince, you little bitch!"

The next thing the saiyan knew, Vegeta was in front of him, burying his fist in his gut. The crowd watched as the saiyan doubled over, looking at their prince in surprise. Vegeta ignored them as he glared down at the saiyan. "It is  _you_  who should show some respect. No one insults my mate without paying the consequences."

The word "Mate?" echoed all around them from the saiyan crowd. Vegeta just smirked and returned to Bulma's side, grabbing her chin and kissing her deeply in front of the others.

"That's right. She's my woman." He looked right at her. "Isn't that right?"

Bulma felt heat flood her face. "Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

She mock glared at him. "I suppose I could agree to that, but you're going to have to be more convincing."

Vegeta chuckled and grabbed her chin, forcing a kiss on her. "Trust me, once I get you alone, there will be no doubt in your mind that you're my woman."

As Bulma blushed furiously, the saiyan known as Zorn, one of the late King Vegeta's personal guards, approached them and bowed before the prince. "Thank you for what you've done for us. We are truly in the depth of you and your mate, my king."

Vegeta looked at Zorn in surprise. "What? King?"

Zorn nodded, remaining on his knees. "Yes, my lord. With your father gone, you as the rightful heir to the throne, are now our king. All hail King Vegeta!"

Amongst the crowd, all the saiyans cried out in unison. "All hail King Vegeta!"

Vegeta watched in awe as the crowd of saiyans all bowed before him. Even Broly bowed, although he did it simply because everyone else was rather than to pay any actual respect since he didn't understand. The saiyan prince, now king, looked back at Bulma, Tarble, Gure, and Bardock. The latter three all dropped to a bowing position, each of them mimicking the crowd. "All hail, King Vegeta."

Looking back at the crowd, an arrogant smirk crept up Vegeta's face. "King Vegeta, huh? I could get used to this."

Behind his back, Bulma sighed. "The king of his own planet," she muttered, rolling her eyes, "yeah, that's just what he needs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things are finally back to normal, or as normal as they can be. The saiyans are all cured, Bulma has accepted her place, and Vegeta has made it known that she is his mate. Oh, and that he is now king. And I just had to add Bulma's comment at the end there from the movie "Broly, The Legendary Super Saiyan", it was too good to pass up. By the way, who realized that it would be the sacred water that cured the saiyans. I know it's what used in the series, but did you expect it for this fic too? Back in chapter 41, I mentioned that the Namekians gave Bulma a gift for everything she did for them. This was all planned, even way back then. So, tell me what you think.)


	62. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry people, but this is the last chapter. I know a lot of you were hoping for more, but I'm all out of ideas. This story has been my longest ongoing one yet. It's hard to believe that I've been writing it for two years, but now I'm running on empty. It was a lot of fun, but it had to end at some point. I hope you enjoy the epilogue.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Epilogue**

In the years that followed, many things changed on Planet Vegeta, yet many remained the same. The biggest change was the nature of the saiyans. They still loved to fight and conquer, but they no longer went around taking over planets. Instead, the saiyan race became fighters for higher. The jobs varied from warriors to assassins, from bodyguards to mercenaries, whatever the client wanted. Though they were far from a peaceful race, they were no longer considered brutal monsters by other races. Unless, of course, they were hired to take down an enemy, then whoever had the hit placed on them saw them as monsters.

Things under Vegeta II's rule was by far a lot better than his father's. A large part of this was because they no longer needed to answer to a tyrant like Frieza, and therefore were no longer under such stress.

At least that's what Bulma thought as she looked at the saiyan people. They were by no means a perfect race, and still had many flaws, but then again, what race wasn't? She certainly couldn't say that humans were completely peaceful, although there was a lot more violence among the saiyans. At the very least, they had mellowed out quite a bit. Even the servants were receiving much better treatment.

Even though Bulma was technically queen, she was still looked down upon by most of the saiyans. Of course, none ever spoke ill of her in Vegeta's presence, not unless they wanted to spend a few days in the infirmary. But their attitude didn't really bother her. She had long since gotten used to their prejudices. The biggest reason they looked down on her was because, by their standards, she was a weakling. She just shrugged it off. Her strength was in her head, not her muscles. Besides, if she needed to, she could always get Vegeta to defend her, and she also still had Broly under her control.

Of course, Vegeta still believed that he could order her around, and attempted to do so. But over the years, she had learned to deal with the stubborn saiyan, and even order him around quite a bit. Of course, there was still one thing she couldn't talk him out of, and that was training. Not his own training, she didn't even bother to try and talk him out of that. She was trying convince him to go easier on their son.

At age 14, their son, Trunks, was already quite powerful. He was only half saiyan, but no one dared to put him down. Not just because he was a prince, or out of fear of angering Vegeta. No, it was because he was so powerful. He was the fifth strongest saiyan alive, surpassed only by his father, Broly, Goku, and Gohan.

Vegeta had started training Trunks at an early age, as was the custom with all saiyan children. Bulma had thought that he was too young to train, but according to Vegeta, if he was old enough to walk, he was old enough to train.

Being only half saiyan, he inherited some features from his human mother. His hair was a lavender color rather than black, as was seen in most saiyans, and his eyes were blue, also against the black color that pure-blooded saiyans inherited. Other than these two distinct features, he seemed to be a complete saiyan, even inheriting a tail at birth.

Sighing, Bulma watched as father and son trained. Unlike his father, Trunks was wielding a weapon, a sword that Bulma had made especially for him. She wanted her son to also be experienced with weapons rather than just his fists. Vegeta had agreed to allow him to have the weapon; as long as the boy was training, he was happy.

Turning her attention away, she glanced at her daughter in her arms. Although a little over a year old, little Bulla looked more like her mother than her father. She also had blue hair and eyes like Bulma, although she also had a tail, symbolizing her saiyan heritage. But if Vegeta thought he was going to turn their daughter into a mercenary, he had another thing coming. Sure, Bulla would train to become strong like any other saiyan, but Bulma would be damned if she allowed Vegeta to send their little girl off to other planets to conquer and destroy people simply because she was paid to do so.

She didn't think that would be a problem though. Even as a baby, Bulla had her father wrapped around her little finger. She was going to be a total daddy's girl, and Vegeta was going to spoil her rotten. Bulma knew right away that she would have to be the strict one while dealing with their daughter. The guy was also fiercely protective of her. The poor girl probably wouldn't even get a date until Vegeta was dead and buried. Anyone that attempted to court her would no doubt face Vegeta's wrath.

As Bulla pulled on her mother's hair, Bulma ignored the slight pain and looked back at her husband and son battling. She couldn't believe that Vegeta had ordered Trunks to try and cut him with his sword. Although it seemed that she had nothing to worry about. Trunks hadn't even come close to landing a single blow.

"You're too slow!" Vegeta scolded him.

"No," Trunks objected, "you're too fast."

"That doesn't matter!" Vegeta snapped. "If you have an enemy that's faster than you, they're not going to slow down so you can hit them. You have to get faster so you can catch up with them. Now come at me!"

Tightening his grip on his sword, Trunks lunged at his father. Vegeta easily caught the sword and delivered a punch to his son's gut, knocking the wind out of him. He seemed worried about what he did for a moment, but quickly hid it when he Trunks wasn't really hurt. He may have been incredible strict and very guarded with his emotions, even towards his son, but he was a caring father.

"Hey," the younger saiyan groaned, "you didn't say you would hit back."

"Well I didn't say that I wouldn't, did I, Trunks?"

Trunks grumbled. He loved his father, but sometimes the guy really got on his nerves. "We've been at this for hours. Can't we take a break? I was supposed to hang out with Goten today."

"Kakarot's brat is already catching up to you! His elder son is already stronger than you, I will not have his other one surpass you as well. You are a saiyan prince, now behave like one and show me what you can do."

Trunks growled. "Fine, here I come!"

He charged at his father, sword raised. Vegeta could have easily dodged the attack, but suddenly something happened. Trunks' speed greatly increased, and his hair suddenly turned gold and spikey as his eyes turned green. Vegeta was so shocked that he dodged the attack a little too late.

Bulma was also stunned. Right before her very eyes, her son had just become a Super Saiyan. When had this happened? Was this his first time, or had it happened before and he just hadn't told them yet? One thing was for sure, Vegeta was certainly going to be proud of him.

Or so she thought. Her mouth dropped open in shock once more as she looked at Vegeta. The fact that his son had become a Super Saiyan seemed lost to him as he stared at the pile of hair on the ground. Having been distracted and unable to move in time, Trunks' sword had given him his first hair cut, chopping off nearly half of it.

Trunks' eyes widened fearfully as he stared up at his father. Being half human, his hair continued to grow over time, but Vegeta, being a pureblooded saiyan, did not grow his hair. It stayed the same way from birth. He now had a permanent new hairstyle.

Trunks gulped, knowing he was in deep trouble. "D-Dad, I-I'm s-s-sorry-y… I didn't mean t-t…"

Vegeta transformed, bypassing the normal Super Saiyan state and going straight to the form he had defeated Baby in, his eyes shining with fury. He would commend his son on becoming a Super Saiyan later, right now he was just too pissed. His voice trembled as he struggled to control his anger. "Y-You have… a f-five second… head s-start… Five… four…"

Trunks yelped and immediately turned tail and ran, his Super Saiyan speed being very useful right now, although he knew he would be no match for his father's speed.

"Three… two… one…"

Vegeta let out an enraged battle cry and took off after his son.

Watching the two vanish in the distance, Bulma sighed. "I'll get the Senzu beans."

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A humorous ending to my story. Trunks just gave Vegeta his first haircut. It's supposed to be the one he had in the Dragon Ball GT series. I actually read somewhere that this was how Vegeta really did get his haircut, either that or it was a popular theory among fans, I forget which. I'm sorry again to those that wanted more, but like I said, I don't know where to go from here. However, I am going to provide some extra information, which I will be posting right now in a next chapter, so you can take a look at that. I want to thank everyone that's stuck with me through this story, you guys are great.)


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